There were all shapes and sizes – the large and the small, the young and the old, and even a heavily pregnant woman who had re-scheduled the birth of her twins so she could take part.
But the one thing the 5,200-odd people who posed for the American artist Spencer Tunick at the Sydney Opera House earlier today had in common was that they were all totally naked.
Thousands had gathered just before dawn on Monday, a mild and overcast first day of autumn, to take part in the shoot by the renowned (and controversial) photographer at one of Australia’s most iconic landmarks. Titled Mardi Gras: The Base, the shoot was commissioned by Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival.
As the sun rose, Tunick instructed participants – many of who were clapping and cheering to support each other – to do a number of poses on the steps of the famous Sydney landmark, from standing up, lying down, and even embracing cheek to cheek, for over an hour.