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Stripping For Art`s Sake
London, Apr 27: Hundreds of naked men and women have paraded between cosmetics and accessory counters in one of London`s most famous department stores where a New-York artist gathered them for a photo.
London, Apr 27: Hundreds of naked men and women have paraded between cosmetics and accessory counters in one of London's most famous department stores where a New-York artist gathered them for a photo.
It was an unusual scene at London's "Selfridges" department store: men and women of all ages, races and colours walked casually through the cosmetics department, preparing for a photo session on the cold marble floor.
Tattoos and pierced body parts were exposed as the volunteer-models gathered at the shop to pose for artist Spencer Tunick, a New-York born photographer who has already created various mass-nude artistry around the world.
In the past, Tunick filmed his models in the outdoors. This time, he exchanged scenic views with the bright neon lights as a background.
Tunick was invited to participate in Selfridges' marketing theme "body craze", which will host different artists from around the world, in what the store calls "a celebration of the human body."
Hours before opening time on Sunday (April 27), Tunick addressed his models and laid down the rules.
"No socks. I know there are some men here that wear socks when they are naked," he said.
But creating art with more than 500 people cannot be all jokes and laughs. Tunick's task, to film four photo sessions before shoppers walked in, required dozens of assistants, discipline and ordering around. "Don't laugh", the artist shouts when some of his models giggle while posing on the store's escalators.
Tunick's previous installations were captured in urban locations across the world from the Americas to Australia and every continent in between. For him - and some of his models-fans - the connecting thread is the naked human form.
"When you strip away people's clothes there is just the humanity left and I think it's lovely, and I like what he does," said Chris as he waited for the final photo session, a men's only photo op at the accessories department.
"It was amazing how quickly everyone took their cloths off and thirty seconds later it was the norm. And everyone was like walking around and like "Oh yeah, that's a really nice tattoo you have got there." So it was good, yeah," said Jessica while her friends dressed up.
For his work, Tunick recruits hundreds of ordinary people, who meet in a specific location. He then asks them to strip off and then have their naked bodies composed into sculptural shapes and bizarre formations that build on the features of streets, buildings and cityscapes.
Tunick's last project "Nude Adrift" was a journey that took the artist to 7 continents, where he gathered over 25,000 people, creating two series of works - his large group gatherings of temporary site-related installations and spontaneous individual portraits.
In exchange for posing for Tunick's "Be Consumed" artwork, the models will receive a print of the event by the artist. But judging from the applauds at the end of the installation, the volunteers had an experience they will never forget.
"Be Consumed" is what my... What it's called, it's like being consumed by the product but also in the end the body wins out over the product, and when you see the images in my work, not the work that comes from the press, you understand that the body eventually wins," Tunick says as his team packs up their equipment and the store is getting ready for ordinary, overdressed, customers.
Bureau Report
Hours before opening time on Sunday (April 27), Tunick addressed his models and laid down the rules.
"No socks. I know there are some men here that wear socks when they are naked," he said.
But creating art with more than 500 people cannot be all jokes and laughs. Tunick's task, to film four photo sessions before shoppers walked in, required dozens of assistants, discipline and ordering around. "Don't laugh", the artist shouts when some of his models giggle while posing on the store's escalators.
Tunick's previous installations were captured in urban locations across the world from the Americas to Australia and every continent in between. For him - and some of his models-fans - the connecting thread is the naked human form.
"When you strip away people's clothes there is just the humanity left and I think it's lovely, and I like what he does," said Chris as he waited for the final photo session, a men's only photo op at the accessories department.
"It was amazing how quickly everyone took their cloths off and thirty seconds later it was the norm. And everyone was like walking around and like "Oh yeah, that's a really nice tattoo you have got there." So it was good, yeah," said Jessica while her friends dressed up.
For his work, Tunick recruits hundreds of ordinary people, who meet in a specific location. He then asks them to strip off and then have their naked bodies composed into sculptural shapes and bizarre formations that build on the features of streets, buildings and cityscapes.
Tunick's last project "Nude Adrift" was a journey that took the artist to 7 continents, where he gathered over 25,000 people, creating two series of works - his large group gatherings of temporary site-related installations and spontaneous individual portraits.
In exchange for posing for Tunick's "Be Consumed" artwork, the models will receive a print of the event by the artist. But judging from the applauds at the end of the installation, the volunteers had an experience they will never forget.
"Be Consumed" is what my... What it's called, it's like being consumed by the product but also in the end the body wins out over the product, and when you see the images in my work, not the work that comes from the press, you understand that the body eventually wins," Tunick says as his team packs up their equipment and the store is getting ready for ordinary, overdressed, customers.
Bureau Report