American artist, Spencer Tunick, once argued that being naked can be considered as free speech. On Monday, he pushed through with his position when around 500 people braved the Australian winter to pose for a series of controversial nude photographs on top of a Melbourne parking lot.
The photo shoot, organized by Tunick, held Monday morning in temperatures of approximately 48 degrees Fahrenheit. It comes just weeks after supermarket chain Woolworths reversed its decision to ban the event from its premises.
Woolworths had initially denied access to its branch in Melbourne’s Prahran neighborhood, citing inconvenience to weekend shoppers. But following public outcry and a high-profile petition, the supermarket last month agreed to host the shoot on condition that it was rescheduled for a quieter Monday timeslot.
A Woolworths spokesperson said that the retailer was “very supportive of the Provocaré Festival of the Arts and the Chapel Street community in which we operate,” attributing the U-turn to festival organizers’ flexibility regarding the timing of the shoot.
Speaking to CNN ahead of Monday’s photo shoot, Tunick praised the decision.
“It’s very rare for a corporation… to be part of something where the body is nude — it’s almost impossible,” he said in a phone interview. “So it’s very brave moment for something like this to happen, when (other) corporations are restricting the body and freedom.”
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Tunick has made his name coordinating more than 120 large-scale nude photos in public spaces around the world, from Munich to Mexico City. The latter stunt attracted a reported 18,000 naked participants. The artist said that being naked in public can “be considered free speech.”
“People want a sense of freedom when it comes to their bodies and public space — that governments … and corporations don’t own your body,” he added.