Australian supermarket giant says 'yes' to mass nude photograph

By Alison Bevege

 

FILE PHOTO: Nude models pose for a photograph by U.S. artist Spencer Tunick, for a project titled "Sea of Hull" in Hull city centre, northern England, July 9, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Yates/File Photo

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - More than 11,000 Australians who rushed for the chance to strip for American photographer Spencer Tunick will soon wear only smiles after a national supermarket chain changed its mind about allowing the shoot to go ahead on a suburban rooftop carpark.

 

"We're over the moon," John Lotton, director of the Provocare Festival of the Arts, told Reuters on Saturday.

 

Tunick has photographed thousands of nudes in group shots around the globe from Bogota to Vienna. But Australian retail giant Woolworths had refused to allow him access to a car park in the up-market suburb of Prahran, in the nation's second-largest city of Melbourne, as they feared it would inconvenience their customers.

 

Organisers of the Chapel Street Provocare arts festival had hoped Tunick's photo shoot would propel their event onto the world stage.

 

After festival organisers agreed to move the event from busy weekend trading hours to a quiet Monday morning, Woolworths shed its inhibitions to allow the event to go ahead on July 9.

 

"It's a good outcome," a Woolworths representative said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

 

Lotton said 11,000 people had registered to disrobe, with a week still left before entries close. Many were willing to travel thousands of miles for a chance to take part, he told Reuters from Melbourne.

 

It is not known exactly how many au naturel volunteers are needed or how Tunick will choose them, but Lotton said there will not be enough places for all that want to participate.

 

"It's well and truly oversubscribed," Lotton said.

 

In 2007 in Mexico City, 18,000 people stripped off in the heart of the city's Zocalo Square for Tunick, an internationally renowned photographer from New York.

 

Volunteers have also posed naked in freezing temperatures on a Swiss glacier.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-16

July is that not winter out there?

 

 

9 hours ago, Basil B said:

July is that not winter out there?

 

 

Melbourne is cold in July. Where is the art in 500 bums?

 

This new trend makes no sense.

53 minutes ago, Justfine said:

Melbourne is cold in July. Where is the art in 500 bums?

 

This new trend makes no sense.

I suppose people just want to have a bit of fun an feel to be part of something silly together.

Edited June 17, 20188 yr by Guest

Early morning in Melb winter. No thanks. Somewhere tropical. sure.

July 9th 2016 , must of been cold as Hull freezes over , look at all the blue bits.

 

Your turn Darcula .

44 minutes ago, toofarnorth said:

July 9th 2016 , must of been cold as Hull freezes over , look at all the blue bits.

 

Your turn Darcula .

 

That pic seems to be taken in bad light, most probably at the crack of dawn.

 

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, Darcula said:

 

That pic seems to be taken in bad light, most probably at the crack of dawn.

 

 

 

 

All the cracks look the same how can you tell which one is Dawn ?

Maybe the want to be the hub of as**s

33 minutes ago, toofarnorth said:

All the cracks look the same how can you tell which one is Dawn ?

 

Easy, all the rest are just quacks.

21 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Lotton said 11,000 people had registered to disrobe, with a week still left before entries close. Many were willing to travel thousands of miles for a chance to take part, he told Reuters from Melbourne.

 

The last time so may aussie bums filled a carpark, it was outside a Midnight Oil concert.

 

At least it's more artistic than that idiot getting buried under the road in a mini

shipping container for 72 hours.