New York-based contemporary artist Spencer Tunick will return to Brisbane in 2024 for a major installation as part of the inaugural Melt Open, the city’s new and expanded festival celebrating queer art and culture.
Tunick, whose documentation and celebration of the human body sees him working with large groups of naked people in public spaces, is already creating a new work, Tide, for Melt this year.
Tide will featuring approximately 150 participants posing naked along the waterline of the Brisbane River this coming Saturday 18 November.
Tunick’s 2024 project for Melt Open will be significantly more ambitious, involving the temporary closure of Brisbane’s iconic Story Bridge on Sunday 27 October in order to photograph thousands of live nude figures in situ, in celebration of diversity, equity, inclusion and Brisbane’s vibrant LGBTQIA+ community.
‘This challenging work on the Story Bridge marks the second in my two-part series in Brisbane scheduled one year apart, in 2023 then 2024. It is the first time I have ever worked on installations with the same institution for an extended two-year project. This will allow me to deeply explore the city, its light, environment and its people,’ Tunick said in a statement.
‘The series will hopefully speak to diverse groups of people, and everyone navigating their way through the difficult challenges of our current world. It is a privilege to be making art that centres on the LGBTQIA+ community with all its beauty and vibrance.’
Tunick first visited Australia in 2001 as part of Melbourne Fringe, where a much larger turnout than expected posed naked for him on Princes Bridge, in the Alexandra Gardens and on the banks of the Yarra River.
Since then Tunick has returned to Australia several times, including a major shoot on the steps of Sydney Opera House in 2010 as part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, featuring over 5000 participants, and another Sydney photoshoot on Bondi Beach, in 2022.
The Story Bridge installation will be part of the inaugural Melt Open, set to premier in Brisbane throughout October/November 2024. Born out of the success of Brisbane Powerhouse’s Melt Festival, which is currently celebrating its seventh year, Melt Open is an open access festival similar to Fringe events around the world.
The event boasts an expanded line-up of artists and cultural events at venues throughout central Brisbane with the aim of fostering inclusivity, provoking thought and celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community.
Read: Spencer Tunick on lending his signature aesthetic to global activism
In a media release, Melt Open Executive Producer Pieta Farrell said, ‘This major Tunick installation featuring thousands of nude bodies on the landmark Story Bridge is a visual expression of the diversity and inclusion that Brisbane’s new LGBTQIA+ festival, Melt Open, aims to deliver across the city.’
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner added Tunick’s series is one of many events to look forward to as part of the new Melt Open festival.
‘We’re proud to support homegrown Brisbane events like this that celebrate our diverse community and culture, while championing the city’s world-class creative industry,’ Schrinner said.
‘Melt Open [will be] an incredible addition to the city’s jam-packed major events calendar that will not only attract thousands of visitors to Brisbane, but showcase and support our thriving cultural scene.’
Brisbane residents and others wishing to participate in the Story Bridge photoshoot on Sunday 27 October 2024 are invited to register their interest by visiting the Brisbane Powerhouse website. There are no limitations on the number of participants.
