More Than 7,000 Gather for Nude Exhibit
 

LINK
<hr>
More Than 7,000 Gather for Nude Exhibit

By SARAH ANDREWS
Associated Press Writer

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- More than 7,000 people gathered at daybreak Sunday and shed their clothes in the morning chill to take part in artist Spencer Tunick's largest work yet - an installation featuring a sea of nude bodies covering a central Barcelona avenue.

The New York native has achieved worldwide renown for his work, which often features large numbers of nude people posing in urban settings. Though he refers to his art as "temporary site-related installations," he is best known for the photographs he takes of these events.

"I want people to feel uncomfortable that they've demonized the body," Tunick said in an interview with The Associated Press shortly before staging his Barcelona installation. "I want them to feel uncomfortable at first and then realize it's just skin. Yes, the body can be a shape."

He called the Barcelona installation a great visual success. "I created a river of bodies like I've never made before. It was an amazing pink and tan carpet."

At 4 a.m. (0200 GMT) people began arriving at Avenida de la Reina Maria Cristina, a broad thoroughfare lined with fountains. They undressed in a nearby building and were naked for more than an hour as Tunick had them pose four ways: standing, lying down, curled up in balls and hugging each other.

"For me this represents the fragility of the body," said Joan Alexandre Betriu, 53, a participant who called it a "vital, aesthetic and moral" event.

Irene Mohedano, 34, posed with her 5-month old daughter Irene. "This is a work of art," she said. "It may be my only chance to pose for something like this, so I have to take advantage of it."

Tunick said he uses people as raw materials to change perception of space. "I'm using the body as a substance, an abstraction. If the body is nude in front of a background, it creates a new meaning for the background. It makes you think about the background in a different way."

Barcelona joins London, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Santiago and many other European and South American cities in hosting Tunick.

Sunday's spectacle was his largest yet. Until now his grandest project of this type was an installation involving 4,500 nude people in Melbourne, Australia in 2001.

"In the U.S. they consider the body a crime," said the artist, who has been arrested five times in New York City for working with nudes in public. "In other countries it's celebrated as something special."

Barcelona was particularly accepting of his work, Tunick said, citing praise from Mayor Joan Clos.

Though Tunick insists his work is far removed from commercial nude photography, he recognizes that the fact that he works with nude bodies is a major factor in his success.

"My work is about form, the shape of the body. I'm not creating a provocative photo, I'm saying this is the body you shower with, the body you go to sleep with," he said.

"I've gotten a lot of global recognition because I'm making compelling work that's doing something new with the body. I'm bringing the bodies closer together as substance."
<hr>

:rolleyes:

Yeah, I know, I just don't "understand" the art.

What?!? no pics!!

The artistist's website with pics!


http://www.spencertunick.com/

Oh god no ugly people should leave their clothers on outside. ONly hot women can walk around topless at the beach but thats it!:D

I remember when he did his photoshoot in Montreal. I was there on business and didnt know what was going on. I was stuck in traffic (cause of a couple of roads that had been closed for this shoot) and all of a sudden hundreds of people in various stages of undress walk by. I almost drove into a lamppost.

Its really cool though, I really like it.

And as he said. Nudity is a crime in North America. Its pathetic how uptight north americans are about nudity and our bodies. Europe is light years ahead of us.

i'm sorry... but i think you're missing the entire point...

if we follow your rule... perhaps we should extend it and say that only insightful, intelligent, well-thought out and politically correct posts should be allowed on the TFP...

get it?

damn, that's a lot of flesh.

Even though I'm usually picky about what I consider art,
I do consider this art.
It took skill, perspective, thought, coordination, and more.
These are not people just willy-nilly nude,
they are set a certain way in a certain place,
and the photography has to be decent too.

And like Daval said, it is not that shocking, Americans are prudes.
Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong country.

This is good stuff. I've seen some of his work. It's not porn in any sense. It's sexual in the sense that a body can't help but be, but sexual != porn.

You missed the ":D" in his post. He was using irony. Upshot: y'all are in agreement. :)

sorry... my apologies... going back to bed to start over...

Wish I could do that. Had a headache all weekend so I didn't get much sleep. :(

"It was an amazing pink and tan carpet."

Nice!

*chuckle*... i'm not really... i have three kids that are demanding my attention...
was simply a lame attempt at metaphor...

as far as the post... i think it's wonderful...
another man, can't remember his name, made a photography book of nothing more than the naked human form...

it was in no way shape or form intended to be sexual... his intent, as he stated, was simply to show the beauty of the naked human body in ALL forms... NOT PORN... no sex, no objectification, no shame, no judgements...

he took pics from all over the country of people along side the highway, in restaurants, in stores, in the park, on a busy city street... you name it, he shot it...
it was fascinating really... and wonderful... reminded me of just how much Americans in particular are so "hung up" in regards to our bodies and nudity...

if i remember the name... i'll come back and post a link...

Personally, I think the world would have been a better place if Australia had gotten the prudes instead.