Public Nudity - Artistic Expression

Artistic Expression

Though depictions of nudity have been an aspect of art at all times, contemporary art has extended the use of nudity to non-traditional forms. For example:

• Spencer Tunick's installations feature photographs of large numbers of nude people (up to 18,000) posed in artistic formations. In these formal images, the nude form becomes abstract due to the sheer number of people placed so closely together. For Tunick, the individual naked body is not important; it is the big group which becomes a "living sculpture" in the landscape.
• San Francisco Bay area photographer Jack Gescheidt stages events as part of an ongoing series, called "The Tree Spirit Project".
• Paul Harvey's book The Spirit of Lady Godiva contains photographs of nude models in regular urban environments.
• Charles MacFarland's films feature naked people in social settings. Locations include international naturist resorts and beaches.
• Photographer Henning von Berg directs whimsical art happenings with small groups of completely naked people in public urban locations around the globe. While placing a few nude women and men at crowded landmarks in downtown metropolises, he is searching to capture the inter-action between the naked amateur models and the thousands of very surprised passers-by. Von Berg also organized the world’s only-ever male nude photo shoot inside a parliament building, while hundreds of speechless people surrounded the group of six amateur models.