Everyday People Took a ‘Cold Plunge for Art’s Sake'
Thursday 13th May
If you were out and about over the May Day Bank Holiday and encountered hundreds of everyday people in ‘the buff’, don’t worry, it was all for the sake of art. The weekend may have been a washout weather wise but 500 volunteers braved the cold and stripped off for artist Spencer Tunick, as part of his new ‘multi-site installation’, Everyday People.
Convincing crowds of strangers to take off all their clothes for you isn’t easy, but one brave participant, Claire, said it was the controversial artist’s reputation that convinced her to bare all. 'I signed up for Everyday People on the spur of the moment. I've been a fan of Spencer Tunick's work for a long time and the opportunity to be in one of his exhibitions really appealed to me. Despite that, I can't pretend that I wasn't nervous - I've never been particularly comfortable with my body and getting naked in public wasn't something I ever thought I'd do.'
This new piece of work, part of The Lowry’s 10th anniversary celebrations, was inspired by Tunick’s visit to The Lowry gallery. Viewing the work of Salford’s best known painter, L.S Lowry, Tunick realised he could reflect the artist’s work and encapsulate the movement of everyday people. In many ways it’s Tunick’s tribute to the artist.
Michael Simpson, Head of Galleries at The Lowry, said: ‘I think Lowry would really like it because his whole mission for him was to paint ordinary, everyday people going around their daily lives. The people who feature in this project are doing something extraordinary, with no clothes on, but they are just ordinary people, all different colours and shapes and sizes. He would like the fact that it is not high-brow or pretentious, just ordinary people. He would be amused, even a bit bemused probably.’
Over Saturday and Sunday 500 participants of ‘every age, skin tone and shape’ were transported via (thankfully well-heated) buses to eight secret locations spread all over Manchester. In the words of Catherine, another participant, the experience was like 'jumping into a cold pool.' Tunick would shout; '3-2-1 GET NAKED!!’ and 'everyone was suddenly naked, but not exposed. Doing something collectively took all the apprehension out of the experience and we were quickly bonded and focussed to do the job.'
Since 1994 Spencer Tunick has challenged the complex issues surrounding installing art in permanent or temporary spaces and tries to reconfigure ‘one’s views of nudity and privacy’. Documenting the live nude figures with photography and video in over 75 temporary site-specific installations all over the world, Tunick’s installations involve sometimes thousands of participants, shifting into new abstract forms.
Extending ‘into and upon the landscape’, Tunick’s nude figures responded to The Lowry’s desire to celebrate, not only its 10th anniversary but its close relationship with the audiences who have made The Lowry such a success over the past decade.
Participants described the experience as ‘surreal’ and ‘life changing’ but definitely something they’d recommend to everyone; ‘Aside from the obvious excitement of a taboo-busting, mass-participation event, there is something deeply profound about a crowd of 'everyday people' being transformed, in seconds, from a regular rabble to a herd of beautiful animals - it makes you gasp in the same way that the sight of a vast plain of wildebeest on 'Life on Earth' does', explained participant John, perhaps a little unflatteringly. 'And the juxtaposition with the revealed strangeness of the built environment that these simple creatures have created is really quite humbling. Yes, profound and humbling, but also bloody good fun to get naked with 500 people and run around in a Salford park at dawn!’
Catherine agreed that the nerves soon passed, and that the atmosphere was mostly one of great fun; 'The morning in general was brilliant! Getting to know such a mix of people, with occasional bouts of being naked, was fantastic! I’m just gutted I’m going to have to wait so long to see the pictures as I’ve no idea what the ‘bigger picture’ will be like. For me, the artwork is not just the finished photos on the wall of the gallery, but the experience of participating in the process. I’m proud to have participated in something that may never happen in Manchester again and that, for me, is truly a once in a lifetime experience.'
If you missed the chance to be starkers in public, or if you were one of those brave enough to get your kit off, you can see the fruits of Everyday People showing at The Lowry Gallery, Salford - 12th June -26th September 2010.