insideKENT Magazine Issue 28 - July 2014 | Page 22

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

there
and
back
A MODEL’S TALE
& INTERVIEW
WITH ICONIC
PHOTOGRAPHER
SPENCER TUNICK
© Spencer Tunick

B Y

L U K E

Y A T E S

World-renowned artist and photographer, Spencer Tunick, welcomed visitors to the unveiling of his
latest exhibition in Folkestone in May. Following winning a public vote (the other contenders being
The Brighton Pavillion and Museum, and Jerwood Gallery in Hastings), Strange Cargo’s Georges
House Gallery won with over 3,500 people rooting for Spencer to come to Kent’s creative coast.
Spencer is famous for his photographs of throngs
of naked people (just do a quick internet search
if you’re curious), and alongside his exhibition,
he staged a nude photo shoot with more than
125 Kent residents at The Warren, a beautiful

I had the unique opportunity to experience
Spencer’s art from both sides of the camera: as
a model for the seafront photo shoot, and from
speaking to him about his experiences behind
the lens.

©Luke Yates

Spencer’s Folkestone project was going to be
very different to the world he usually creates.
Rather than the relative safety and anonymity of
a mass huddle of similarly naked crazies, he was
going to shoot individual nude portraits in a public
location. The idea of being involved in something
so original for him and so interesting and personal
for me, whilst terrifying, still appealed immensely.

location on Folkestone’s seafront. But this time,
rather than capture the whole group of bodies
together, Spencer chose to take more intimate
individual portraits which went on display as a
collection of colourful keychain scopes at Georges
House Gallery through early June.

The shoot itself was an incredible experience,
but I discovered that contrary to my prior
expectations, it wasn't going to be all about me.
Having braved the stark reality of the moment,
and tentatively stripped off with a group of 30 or
so people, an amazing thing happened. As we
stood there wearing nothing but slightly nervous
grins and maintaining full eye contact at all times,
one of the most beautiful of humanity's traits
emerged.

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It suddenly became reminiscent of when people
are thrown together in other dramatic situations;
where normal life grinds to a halt, such as a rock
concert, broken down train, or some sort of
‘crisis’, and people come together. Suddenly we
found ourselves all in the same boat, all aware
of our vulnerability and equality. But bizarrely the
one key factor that brought us all together, the
seemingly huge deal of being naked in public
with a bunch of other people, simply wasn't a
big deal at all.
Hopes, fears, pain, joy, the whole gamut of real,
human experience suddenly bubbled to the
surface and was shared without fear of judgement
or shunning. In the space of a few naked minutes
that seemed like an eternity, as each person
queued up, perhaps to face their own
personal demons, what I imagine to be lifelong
friendships were made. And then suddenly the
wonderful feelings of calm and being absolutely
fine in my skin I had been basking in the glow
of, suddenly took a back seat, as it was my own
turn to face the camera.