Late at night when I walk past the Barnes stair case (always lit up after dark), I have often thought about the potential to decorate this fluorescent walkway with nude bodies and photograph it from the outside. A few nights ago, Ella and I recruited some people to participate in the project and the idea finally came to fruition. Although the bodies were a little more abstracted than I imagined them being, the project was a success. The process was a lot of fun and the product, I think, will turn out well. Baiza, Neil, Neva, Ursula, Ella, Max and Julia all agreed to be the models, while Jackson Solway acted as photographer and I was the director.
The project started with an unsure group -- would they get in trouble for nudity and need to register as sex offenders? Luckily, we ran into a security guard who told us, among other things (like the fact that sherm-- weed coated with formaldehyde--is the most common drug in the Springs and has effects similar to PCP), that as long as the nudity was for an art project and not for "ooo oo look at me" while shimmying her body (streaking), we were fine. Everyone then finished off their beers and headed inside.
I ran around outside the staircase scouting for a good angle to take the photos from and ranting into Ursula's phone telling people where to stand, how to stand etc. Jackson found the best angle, and Ursula and I quickly found it was going to be too difficult to organize completely by talking on the phone. So Jackson basically continuously snapped shots with his extra long lens, balanced with a tripod. It took a little while to get the shots in focus but once he figured it out, the photos turned out great. We took a few with one person on each "platform", or landing between the sets of stairs. Some of these platforms are behind a silhouetted tree which offers a really effect with the bodies and the fluorescent lights.
From the outside it was really fun to watch the project unfold. My friends appeared in the staircase and immediately began experimenting with positions (I later found out they could see themselves in the reflections of the windows). I watched as they peeled off layers of clothing until only the silhouettes of bare bodies were visible. It was so exciting to see that they really did look beautiful in this staircase and that my "vision" was a good one.
The project functioned as an installation piece as well. Many by-passers stopped to watch the silent forms inside as they leaned against each other, turned their backs away, or balanced on the railings. Some people took pictures with their cell phones and some asked what was going on. I think that the people who saw it were generally excited to have come across something outside of their everyday experiences.
The models enjoyed themselves as well (as far as I know). Nudity among friends is only a good thing. Ursula proposed the idea of taking a similar series of photos on the staircase behind Olin. And it may be pretty to take some in the Fishbowl as well. Hopefully, this project may be the start of a few others similar to it.
Below are a few of the photos:
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