Spencer Tunick returns to Melbourne for nude shoot in middle of winter
ON AN icy cold morning in Melbourne, these people bravely volunteered to get naked on a supermarket’s rooftop carpark. WARNING: Nudity.
WARNING: Nudity
NO, THIS is not a yoga class gone wrong.
On the cold concrete roof of a Woolies car park in Melbourne, hundreds of people took off their clothes and lay side by side.
They braved the chilly conditions for the opportunity to participate in an art installation by famous nude photographer Spencer Tunick.
For half an hour they were manhandled and shouted at by the New York-based artist and his crew.
“When people are naked and it’s cold, I work as if I feel like there are police behind me trying to arrest me,” Tunick said.
When it was finished, Tunick’s subjects put their clothes back on and went about the rest of their day.
The photographer, best known for his breathtaking, large scale nude shoots, chose the rooftop of the Prahran Woolworths for its proximity to the city skyline and the dull grey surface.
He draped sheer red material over participants from all walks of life, including kindergarten teacher and former life model Belle Harvey.
Harvey told news.com.au she was cold at first but soon stopped noticing it. She said taking part was important to her.
“It’s a celebration of who we are,” she said.
Chloe Horler said Monday morning’s shoot was more than art for her — it was an opportunity to embrace her body after a difficult period battling with self-confidence.
“I’ve struggled with body issues in the past so this is part of my journey overcoming that. It was a struggle at the start but as soon as we started it was fine.”
Jane Louise said she felt honoured to be part of a Spencer Tunick creation.
“It’s surreal and awesome. Everybody’s on the same level. This is less about me and more about art,” she said.
The shoot almost didn’t go ahead after Woolworths tried to block it. The supermarket giant said it needed the carpark during the time Tunick planned the shoot.
“At Woolworths, we will always put the convenience of our local customers first,” a spokesman told news.com.au.
“We recently upgraded the rooftop carpark at our Prahran store to make it more accessible and comfortable and its primary purpose is for customers to have convenient access to available carparking close to our store.
“The request for the photo was for the weekend, which is the busiest time of the week for shopping in our stores, and as such we must ensure customers have convenient access to our store when we are open.”
But 10 days later, Woolworths relented.
It was second time Tunick chose Melbourne for his Return of the Nude installation. Previously, he photographed hundreds of naked Australians on the banks of the Yarra River and at the Sydney Opera House.
Among his most famous images is a mass nude event at New York’s Grand Central Station.
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