I have written quite a bit about artist Spencer Tunick and his work.
Here is part of what I wrote in May of last year.
So, it seems that, at least part of his objective, is social and political in nature. Social in a, how does this world at this time react to nudity way. Political in a, will taking pictures of naked people, rattle the cage way.
So, it seems that he has been successful in both those areas. He also either intuitively knew or, stumbled onto the fact that people want to get naked.
In August, I wrote this.
With propaganda, an artist risks attaching himself forever to whatever political entity is using his art. Politcal entities have a way of morphing as the winds change. They could stand for something you don’t agree with 10 years down the road and your piece of art is still attached to the cause. Political entities are polarizing in nature and the artist also risks losing followers that don’t agree with the political stance.
Tunick has decided to let Greenpeace use his artwork and by doing so he is endorsing them in whatever cause they pursue past, present and future. I would be very interested in hearing from some people who are fans of his work and seeing how they feel about this.
And, in October, this.
What Tunick has accomplished here is this; he has made the point that if you are uncomfortable with the subject, the human form, then you are on the other side of the fence of all of these people who, not only want to see the work but also, want to be a part of it. The sheer number of people is the device that makes you look, that makes the work difficult to be ignored and, if Tunick is truly successful, part of an artistic statement.
This morning, I saw this headline.
Not enough bums on seats to score Vienna’s 2008 goal
MORE than 1800 men and women have posed nude for US photographer Spencer Tunick in Vienna’s Ernst Happel stadium, less than a month before it hosts the European football championship final.
The photo shoot, which lasted several hours in warm weather, drew 1840 participants, although it fell short of the symbolic target of “at least 2008″ Tunick had hoped to get, before the Euro 2008 tournament.
I think that, with Tunick’s work, part of what gives it relevancy is, the public reaction; the fact that people flock to take part and, the fact that the press flock to cover it. Now maybe, the fact that Tunick fell a couple of hundred bodies short of his goal here isn’t a big deal. Maybe. But, the fact that the press has noted that and is now covering the works in a ho hum manor is.
Maybe, you have proved your point, Spencer Tunick.
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Tags: art, bums on seats, ernst happel stadium, Greenpeace, nudity, photo shoot, Spencer Tunick
Pat Darnell and Friends wrote,
Hey, they could’a had 10,000 pooper-shooters if only someone would’ve brought a guitar hero…
Link | May 12th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Pribek wrote,
beauty PD, I laughed so hard my hair hurts.
Link | May 12th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Kenski wrote,
While I wouldn’t say I’ve followed it, I’ve been aware of ST’s artistic endeavours since the beginning where he was doing kind of guerilla photo shoots where they’d talk through what they were going to to then the model would strip, pose and SNAP. He’d often get into trouble with the police, but the incongruency of having naked people in the street was what made it interesting. It was also interesting that he was using regular people off the street whom he cajoled into posing by showing them flashcards of his previous work. That spiralled into mass nude shots which moved everything to a different place, rendering the bodies anonymous… like when you take a picture of a cat - you’re taking a picture of each individual hair, but what you see is the animal, not each follicle.
I think that ever since he started getting police crowd control etc at his shoots he maybe got a bit too commercial for my tastes.
Kenski’s last blog post..Interview Update 2
Link | May 13th, 2008 at 5:16 am
Pribek wrote,
These events have corporate sponsorship now too, Kenski. It’s a bit like John Lydon driving a Lexus.
Link | May 14th, 2008 at 12:10 am
Pat Darnell and Friends wrote,
http://www.tommcmahon.net/2007/11/arthur-moles-li.html
Direct your attention to the historical photo in the post credited here… yes they are all naked !! Enjoy.
Link | May 17th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Pat Darnell and Friends wrote,
One more word on this very trendy, and interesting, topic:
Vaseline
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyRtlIddnmo
Pat Darnell and Friends’s last blog post..Do not Taser the Cat !!
Link | May 31st, 2008 at 9:43 am