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What goes on in the mind of an artist who makes hundreds or even thousands of people pose for him naked? And how do his models feel? We asked these questions to renowned photographer Spencer Tunick and several members of his installation in Lyon. The frankness of their answers exceeded our expectations.
New York based artist, born in 1967, specializes in photographing nudes in public places. Since 1994, hundreds, even thousands of volunteers have taken part in his performances in many cities around the world: in New York, Lyon, London, Melbourne, Caracas … If initially his work caused a lot of discussion, now Spencer Tunick is an undisputed authority in his field and bright star of international art photography.
“As an artist, I have always worked with nudes. The first nude model posed for me on the streets of New York. It was at dawn, on a Sunday, when the light is still soft, and the deserted streets between the skyscrapers are like quiet, shady valleys. In this urban “canyon” I felt completely safe: it seemed to me that we were alone, away from prying eyes. Then more and more people began to ask me to photograph them without clothes. That’s how I came up with the idea to invite them all to act together.
The first installation took place in 1994 in front of the UN building in New York, and 28 volunteers took part in it. The policemen were so amazed at what was happening that they unwittingly helped me by blocking traffic on the surrounding streets. Some of them then even asked me to send them photos! And only a few months later the problems began: I was arrested five times, until in 2000 I won the lawsuit. Since then, in New York, the participants in my actions and myself have been under the protection of the law (First Amendment to the US Constitution)*. Museums usually invite me to other cities, and they take care of all the necessary permits.
What I do is not a provocation, and there is no connection with politics in my works either. This is pure art. I explore the interaction of the body and the environment, whether natural (like the Alabama desert) or urban. In both cases, I can shoot a cluster of bodies either as a group portrait, focusing the viewer’s attention on the faces of the models, or in a completely anonymous, impersonal way. I am fascinated by the idea that the human body can turn into an abstraction, into a simple matter that has its own color and shape, but can at the same time become an organic part of the surrounding landscape.
I have heard that some people associate my photographs with scenes in the mortuary. This, of course, was not my intention. Perhaps, at the moment of shooting, rage really erupts in me, a heightened sense of anger about the violence that was carried out on the body in the past and which we have not been able to end to this day. But even if this is true, then on a conscious level I do not feel anything like that. I am primarily driven by a passion for nudity, architecture and landscape…
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I will never stop: just a few months ago, an installation took place in Caracas, in which more than three and a half thousand people took part, and I already have a lot of new ideas. Still, for me, each next project is a kind of creative adventure, because every time both the scenery and the participants change. Often after filming, people come up to me and share their feelings. I did not even suspect that for many my works have such a liberating, sometimes downright therapeutic effect. Probably, this can be called the reverse side of art, hidden from the eyes. Of course, I am pleased to realize that I am also involved in a similar effect, but still, the main thing for me is to create something unexpected, subverting the norms, unpredictable … Something truly fantastic.
* “Congress shall not make laws relating to the establishment of any religion, or prohibiting the free exercise of it, or restricting the freedom of speech or press, or the right of the people to peacefully assemble and petition the government for the satisfaction of grievances.”
Alexander, 40 years old, advertising agent:
“I have always appreciated the work of Spencer Tunick – I just didn’t like those of his works in which living people look like a pile of dead bodies … Deciding to take part in his next installation, I tried to put these images out of my head. Of course, walking through the cold at five o’clock in the morning, barefoot on the damp ground among thousands of other naked people and obeying the commands of a man sitting on the stage, I simply could not help but think about my own nakedness. But it lasted only the first few seconds – the feeling of awkwardness that is inevitable in such a situation passes very quickly, and you just start posing.
Roxana, 24 years old, artist:
“To find yourself naked among a crowd of naked people in the very center of the city is an absolutely unreal feeling! Despite the differences in age and physique, you somehow immediately notice how much we all look alike: nudity hides differences with a paradoxical experience, turns into a kind of uniform.
Philip, 57 years old, civil servant:
“Imagine, on the set, I met colleagues at work! There was something very ridiculous about seeing each other in such an unusual way. When we later met again in a normal setting, we did not discuss it – we just exchanged smiles. Now we are connected by a little common secret – after all, no one but us knows that we participated in an event together that is so far from the ordinary!
Eleonora, 63 years old, pensioner:
“I have never been a supporter of nudism, so for me participation in the Tunica installation was a real revelation! Thanks to him, I radically reconsidered my views on modesty and chastity – I suddenly realized that awkwardness about nudity is inherent in all people, regardless of their age and physique. An amazing feeling of mutual respect and solidarity instantly arose between all the participants of the action. I never thought I would experience something like this!”
Anna, 35 years old, teacher
“When I am photographed on the beach, I draw in my stomach, trying to hide my flaws … But then it didn’t even occur to me. Because in a situation that goes beyond the boundaries of the norm, you stop perceiving nudity the way you perceive it in real life – the categories of intimacy, decency and beauty simply cease to make sense. I felt that nudity can be perceived as something natural, neutral. And do not feel the slightest discomfort about this.