GETTING NAKED WITH 5,500 OTHER PEOPLE FOR ART, EQUALITY AND REPRESENTATION.

Reading time: 12 minutes

WOW…

I mean, how else do you describe participating in a Spencer Tunick photoshoot??!!

On Sunday 27 October 2024, and after many years of clashing schedules, I finally got to participate in my first ever Spencer Tunick art installation…along with 5,500 other people!!!

Spencer shot his installation ‘Rising Tide’ as part of Brisbane’s ‘Melt Festival’ - the city’s major new festival celebrating queer art and culture.

A WEEKEND IN THE CITY

With the installation taking place in the middle of Brisbane city (with the main shot captured along Brisbane’s iconic ‘Story Bridge’), I decided to make a weekend of it and get myself an apartment on the 39th floor in the middle of the city, with views of the bridge, surrounded by other skyscrapers. It’s not often I get into the city…and I thought I’d better do it properly.

My apartment in Brisbane for the weekend. 39 floors up and with stunning river and city views.

I arrived on Saturday evening, checked into my hotel, got settled in and then got dolled up to meet some girlfriends for dinner at a vegan Mexican restaurant, El Planta.

Christina, me and Ginger - my fellow vegan nudies - all dressed up and ready for dinner.

So, after a delicious dinner and a full belly, I got back to my apartment with the intention to get to bed at a decent time…

…well, that didn’t happen. I was way too taken by the city views from my apartment balcony…and, I just had to get some cool photos! I mean, how often is it that I get to be nude in the city with those kinds of views?! So, I decided to do a mini self-shot photoshoot!

I mean, how could I not get some nude photos with this backdrop, right?

THE 2AM WAKE UP

After finally getting to bed at midnight…it was as if my alarm went off after a catnap!

I was SO tired…like, beyond tired! I almost contemplated going back to bed!

But, as I lay there…I thought about how long I’d been wanting to participate in one of Spencer’s installations…and I pondered on the fact that, it’s not everyday he’s on this side of the world.

So, at 2.20am, I got my ass out of bed and got myself ready. I ordered an Uber and made my way, 39 floors down, to the lobby where I then stepped outside to find it was wet, drizzling rain and a little fresh. I mean, I was totally unprepared for the cool weather. In my all-white get up that consisted of a skirt and a little tank top…I waited, and waited, and waited, and waited for my Uber to connect to a driver…

It wasn’t happening. I began to freak out as I was beginning to run late for that 3am start. After standing out in the cold, I hailed down one the few taxis in the area. $55 for a 10 minute trip!!! Apparently there was a massive Travis Scott concert in the city that night…and with Story Bridge closed from 1-8am (thanks to Spencer)…this had caused absolute chaos in the city. Hence the lack of availability of Ubers and the ridiculous cab fares! So, you can imagine my shock…but, I was pretty desperate at this stage. It was raining and I was running late. If the weather had been better (or if I’d been dressed a little more appropriately and it wasn’t almost 3am in the city…I would have just walked the 1.5km!). But, instead, I got my ass into the taxi and begrudgingly paid the extortionate fare.

To be honest, I began to question whether or not this experience was going to be worth the lack of sleep, braving the cold and rain and paying an extortionate amount to get there (obviously, the first line of this write up says it all - it totally was!). Butt! For the first hour, I wasn’t completely sure.

With a heap of road closures (thanks to Spencer getting Story Bridge closed down), the cab driver dropped me off on a quiet street where I had to find my way, by foot.

A COLD AND RAINY START

Only a short distance away, I was at the northern end of the bridge! Yay! After showing my ‘registration pass’ to one of the volunteers, it was time to make my way along the bridge. It was cold. It was still drizzling and I was really regretting my choice of outfit. I envied the masses of umbrellas I could see…because all I wanted to do was huddle under one!

As numbers began to descend upon the bridge, I bumped into some fellow nudies! One of which gave me a towel to wrap around myself (thanks Jeff!). Bumping into more and more fellow naturists along the way, we all got chatting as thousands of people stood there, on the bridge, waiting for the official proceedings to begin.

Participants, on Story Bridge, awaiting for the official proceedings to begin.

By about 4am, Spencer and his team appeared toward the southern end of the bridge where they stood up high on a platform. Over a loud PA that carried over the bridge, they gave us a rough itinerary for the morning’s proceedings. First, we were instructed to head to some stations where we would get undressed and securely leave our belongings.

We were instructed to take absolutely EVERYTHING off…no watches, no jewellery (unless it was the kind that you couldn’t take off!)…nothing. Those with glasses were informed that they could obviously keep them on, but would be required to hold them in their hands whilst the photos were being captured.

Thank goodness I had my friend Jeff who came prepared…because goodness knows I didn’t! I placed my clothes, jewellery and phone in his backpack.

THE SHOOT BEGINS - STORY BRIDGE (LOCATION 1/3)

Well, the shoot got started at about 4.40am. Over 5,500 people proceeded back onto the bridge, completely nude.

First light.

Over the speakers that boomed along the bridge, Spencer gave out very specific instructions for every movement and pose that were to be followed precisely in order to capture his vision. “One arm up, looking away from me”…“now lay down on your back” - that one got everyone grumbling! But, we abided. For maybe 15 minutes, we lay on the cold, wet road (honestly, being the germaphobe that I am, this totally grossed me out!); big rain droplets falling onto some from the bridging above…some of us shivering as Spencer did his work to capture absolute brilliance.

Moments of sheer silence as Spencer captured images. Moments of hearing the birds waking in the early hours of the morning. Moments of hearing a drone buzzing by to capture images and video of this living sculpture that Spencer, a genius, had orchestrated to a tee.

At times where Spencer’s voice may have been lost amongst the muffle, there was a ‘mexican wave-like’ effect where those toward Spencer would follow his instructions through their movements, with those behind then mimicking these same poses…the pose being embodied like a domino-like effect down the bridge.

During one of the standing poses, I struggled to hold back tears as I looked out at a sea of naked bodies of all different shapes, sizes, colours, ages and abilities. 5,500 LGBTQIA+ and allies standing naked and united, for art, for connection and for representation. It was one of the most beautiful sights to behold.

As daylight broke, and with an overcast morning, I assume it was actually the perfect kind of lighting to capture this image. No glare or overexposure from sunlight.

And after maybe 45 minutes capturing various images on the bridge…we were instructed to then head back to put our clothing on and follow the volunteers in pink shirts to our next shoot location…the river boardwalk.

Listening to instructions for the shoot at our second location.

THE SECOND LOCATION - THE BRISBANE RIVER BOARDWALK

After arriving at our next station, where we undressed, we proceeded onto the boardwalk. By this stage, it seemed that people were feeling a lot more comfortable and being naked was just a normality. And WOW…what a vision. As I looked back behind me, it was like nothing I’d ever seen. A slow procession of thousands of naked people, now in broad daylight (as it was probably almost 7am by this stage), making their way to their next pose.

With apartments along the river bank, people started appearing on their balconies…clearly in utter disbelief at the sight of thousands of stark naked people in the middle of the city on a random Sunday morning!

I would have loved to have seen us from their perspective! Oh how I would have loved to have seen us from their viewpoint. At times, I giggled at how potentially ‘cult-like’ the shoot would have looked if you had absolutely no idea what was going on (and I assume many would have had absolutely NO idea given their apparent shock and disbelief). Thousands of naked people taking the same pose as we listened to instructions from a man whose voice projected across speakers all along the boardwalk.

At one stage, many of us nudies had to giggle as we took child’s pose…our rears directly facing these apartment balconies. At times, even the clothed volunteers along the boardwalk had to laugh as they, too, had to take their pose in hiding behind various objects so as not to show up in the photos! Some nudies even suggesting that they should just get naked and join in on the photos! But, apparently, they had been instructed to remain clothed and ensure that everything was going accordingly.

Some jet skiers zoomed past, cheering and recording the spectacle on their phones (which later appeared on some news channels!). At some point, many participants began cheering…and, later that morning, I came to find out that an onlooker on his balcony decided to get in on the action and, in an act of cammeradie, stripped off as he cheered us on!

Me along the at the beginning of the boardwalk after we had concluded the installation, with Story Bridge in the background!

THE FINAL LOCATION

Next we walked nude to our third and last location, a street not too far from the boardwalk (I have forgotten the name of it!).

There, Spencer captured photos of us casually sitting along the road. Here, there were various news channels setup nearby with their cameras and journalists who captured the event. With some of the journalists asking whether anyone wanted to be interviewed, some of my friends suggested I raise my hand…but, on two hours of sleep, no food and almost 7 hours in…I decided against it out of concern I would barely be able to form a sentence!

MEETING SPENCER TUNICK

And, after it was all said and done by 9am, many of us attended the afterparty where, after years of following each other’s work, Spencer and I finally got to meet and have a catch up in person!

Myself and the legend himself, Spencer Tunick.

We have followed each other’s work online for sometime, so it was really nice to finally meet in person after the installation!

So, for that Sunday morning, on 27 October 2024, being naked in the middle of Brisbane city was normal and legal for those few hours. It felt natural, like it had been that way for years. What liberty. What empowerment. What freedom.

NAKED ON STORY BRIDGE AS AN ANALOGY OF CONNECTION

I think that Spencer’s analogy of a bridge representing ‘connection’ couldn’t be any more fitting for what happens at his installations.

It is a reminder about how, essentially, we are all connected..and how important connection truly is. And, when we are in our most authentic and vulnerable state being naked, that connection runs even deeper and higher.

And whilst I am used to being naked around others and strangers, this would have been a complete foreign concept and experience for many of the other participants. I can only imagine how transformative this was for so many. For those few hours, public and social nudity were totally normalised and, better yet, embraced. This is the kind of progression we need as a society.

And, despite how many places I’ve gone naked and how many people I’ve interacted in the nude with…there’s nothing quite like uniting with 5,500 others in the nude…for art and the representation of equality and diversity.

Thank you for your artistry Spencer…and well done on getting Story Bridge closed down (I don’t know how you did it, but you did!)…I think the city went into chaos…but it was for art and a great cause! I mean, the logistical side of all of this was a huge feat in and of itself. I was utterly impressed!

I cannot wait to see the final images!

Be sure to follow Spencer’s work here.