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Spencer Tunick - The Base
Mar. 2nd, 2010 11:40 amLesley picked me up at 3:30am, I was so excited I couldn't get to sleep so only managed about an hour and a half sleep before the alarm went off, and then was sitting on my front fence at 3:20, in the cold wind... the street is eerily quiet at that hour, hardly even any traffic noise from Canterbury rd... macy came out to sit on the fence with me and yell at me because obviously we were meant to be in bed and I'd thrown out her routine... drove in on quiet empty streets, until we got to the Con, from there it was a traffic jam of cars trying to get into the opera house car park, it took us 25 minutes from the con to the carpark! we parked at about 4:15am, and snuck into the line which apparently stretched back around past Circular Quay station. We handed in our model release forms, and were given a large plastic bag and a ticket for the stage in the Opera House. People with tickets were herded to the far side of the opera house forecourt, and those without were herded through the gates into the botanic gardens. From then on it was a waiting game. Lesley lined up for a coffee at one of the two coffee stands set up, and although the line wasn't that long she was there for an hour. I found Jon, then Elise and a friend of hers, ?Rada, and we all stood around talking and laughing and shivering from the cold. Eventually a mardi gras volunteer got on a loud hailer and told us that we were waiting for the sunrise, and the people in the botanic gardens would nude up first, and come across to fill up the front of the forecourt steps, we would then go around the back and fill in from the back, after that series was done the people with tickets would be going into the concert hall for another installation, and then after that the garden folk would be doing a seperate installation in the botanic gardens, and we'd get more instructions soon. A little while later the man himself got on the sound system and welcomed everyone, spoke a bit about what he was wanting to do and the purpose of his work, in this case bringing together gay and straight people of all kinds, introduced key members of his team, and thanked us all for being part of it. He explained how everything was going to work, and reiterated that we were waiting for sunrise.
As the sky started to lighten the excitement levels seemed to rise in the crowd, and not long after a cheer went up behind us and we spun around to see thousands of people on the side of the hill in the gardens stripping off. Truly awesome! Those of us at the side of the house cheered and applauded as the garden folk headed past us onto the front of the steps. People seemed wholly unselfconscious, and the atmosphere was one of celebration and joyousness. I didn't hear the call for our section to strip off, but suddenly people around me were pulling their clothes off and shoving them into the bags we'd been given, so I kicked off my shoes, pulled off my dress and underwear, shoved everything in the bag, tied it up and left it where I was. And there we were, strangers and friends, all naked in the brisk cool wind, standing in front of an Australian icon. It was absurd, and surreal, and utterly amazing. In the queue of people trying to get up the stairs there was a remarkable consideration of personal space, no pushing or crowding, for some reason :) The young straight girls in front of us were covering their boobs (apparently forgetting that their bottoms and hoohoos were still visible) but other than them no-one seemed at all abashed of their nudity.
We lined up on the steps with the chalked x's, shoulder to shoulder, but then there was shuffling of the masses as Spencer directed us over the sound system, I ended up to the right of the concert hall, three or four steps up from the middle level of the forecourt steps. We were naked for an hour or so, following directions for different photos, standing facing the gardens and staring straight ahead, don't smile, arms down, don't look at me, turn around, arms straight up, face the bridge, lay on your back (seriously cold pebblecrete made that one the least pleasant), some reshuffling and reformation and then photos of us all hugging and kissing and we were done.
In the midst of all this, Lesley waved her hand and her wedding ring, slightly too big and even looser due to the cold weather, flew off her hand and disappeared between the gaps in the tiling. We counted tiles to remember the position, and she ducked across to the Opera House security staff loitering just inside the doors to ask if anything could be done to retrieve it. She said it was very bizarre to be approaching and talking to fully clothed men while she was completely naked, but it was her wedding ring!
After the forecourt installation was done we grabbed our clothing bags and headed inside. I was really pleased that my ticket was for the stage, because the seats in the concert hall are too small for my big arse, but the choir stalls on stage are long benches, no arm rests to squish wide hips, and I was very excited about being naked on the opera house stage. Unfortunately, the stage filled up before we got through the door, so the remainder of our group was taken around the other side to fill up the boxes at the top. I didn't go, knowing it would be futile, and instead put my clothes back on and waited in the foyer. It was disappointing, but as I had gone expecting only to be part of the forecourt installation I had achieved what i wanted to and so couldn't be too disappointed. I was joined a little while later by Wade, a lovely very tall and big bear, who had discovered that the seats were too small for him also. We sat and chatted while waiting for everyone else to be done.
After everyone came out, reclothed and headed off, Lesley and I found the FOH manager, who summoned the head of maintenance, Tito, and we went back out to see if he could reach her ring with his little snakey grabby tool. Unfortunately it wasn't possible, and he said they'd have to lift the tile, apparently this happens often. He told us it would take probably half an hour or so, so we went and had some brekky at the portobello cafe and a much needed coffee. They still hadn't found it when we came back, but after a bit more waiting we got the thumbs up signal and were directed to go down to the stage door to collect it. While there we met the pianist/musical director for meow meow, and chatted to him and one of the security guys who pulled up the smh.com.au picture gallery of the mornings adventures. The Meow Meow guy had participated, and the security officer told us what it was like pulling into Circular Quay station and seeing the front of the Opera House covered in flesh tones. Very cool!
The things I will take away from this experience are the sheer joyousness of everyone involved. The lack of self-consciousness as everyone quickly realised that in nudity, in spite of differences in body shape, size, colour, gender, we really are all the same. So different but so alike. The feeling of cold pebblecrete under my feet, and the cool wind on my skin as I stood in one of the most recognisable places in the world. It was an experience that will remain with me forever and I am so grateful for the opportunity, and for the friends who stood along side me and made it even more wonderful.
As the sky started to lighten the excitement levels seemed to rise in the crowd, and not long after a cheer went up behind us and we spun around to see thousands of people on the side of the hill in the gardens stripping off. Truly awesome! Those of us at the side of the house cheered and applauded as the garden folk headed past us onto the front of the steps. People seemed wholly unselfconscious, and the atmosphere was one of celebration and joyousness. I didn't hear the call for our section to strip off, but suddenly people around me were pulling their clothes off and shoving them into the bags we'd been given, so I kicked off my shoes, pulled off my dress and underwear, shoved everything in the bag, tied it up and left it where I was. And there we were, strangers and friends, all naked in the brisk cool wind, standing in front of an Australian icon. It was absurd, and surreal, and utterly amazing. In the queue of people trying to get up the stairs there was a remarkable consideration of personal space, no pushing or crowding, for some reason :) The young straight girls in front of us were covering their boobs (apparently forgetting that their bottoms and hoohoos were still visible) but other than them no-one seemed at all abashed of their nudity.
We lined up on the steps with the chalked x's, shoulder to shoulder, but then there was shuffling of the masses as Spencer directed us over the sound system, I ended up to the right of the concert hall, three or four steps up from the middle level of the forecourt steps. We were naked for an hour or so, following directions for different photos, standing facing the gardens and staring straight ahead, don't smile, arms down, don't look at me, turn around, arms straight up, face the bridge, lay on your back (seriously cold pebblecrete made that one the least pleasant), some reshuffling and reformation and then photos of us all hugging and kissing and we were done.
In the midst of all this, Lesley waved her hand and her wedding ring, slightly too big and even looser due to the cold weather, flew off her hand and disappeared between the gaps in the tiling. We counted tiles to remember the position, and she ducked across to the Opera House security staff loitering just inside the doors to ask if anything could be done to retrieve it. She said it was very bizarre to be approaching and talking to fully clothed men while she was completely naked, but it was her wedding ring!
After the forecourt installation was done we grabbed our clothing bags and headed inside. I was really pleased that my ticket was for the stage, because the seats in the concert hall are too small for my big arse, but the choir stalls on stage are long benches, no arm rests to squish wide hips, and I was very excited about being naked on the opera house stage. Unfortunately, the stage filled up before we got through the door, so the remainder of our group was taken around the other side to fill up the boxes at the top. I didn't go, knowing it would be futile, and instead put my clothes back on and waited in the foyer. It was disappointing, but as I had gone expecting only to be part of the forecourt installation I had achieved what i wanted to and so couldn't be too disappointed. I was joined a little while later by Wade, a lovely very tall and big bear, who had discovered that the seats were too small for him also. We sat and chatted while waiting for everyone else to be done.
After everyone came out, reclothed and headed off, Lesley and I found the FOH manager, who summoned the head of maintenance, Tito, and we went back out to see if he could reach her ring with his little snakey grabby tool. Unfortunately it wasn't possible, and he said they'd have to lift the tile, apparently this happens often. He told us it would take probably half an hour or so, so we went and had some brekky at the portobello cafe and a much needed coffee. They still hadn't found it when we came back, but after a bit more waiting we got the thumbs up signal and were directed to go down to the stage door to collect it. While there we met the pianist/musical director for meow meow, and chatted to him and one of the security guys who pulled up the smh.com.au picture gallery of the mornings adventures. The Meow Meow guy had participated, and the security officer told us what it was like pulling into Circular Quay station and seeing the front of the Opera House covered in flesh tones. Very cool!
The things I will take away from this experience are the sheer joyousness of everyone involved. The lack of self-consciousness as everyone quickly realised that in nudity, in spite of differences in body shape, size, colour, gender, we really are all the same. So different but so alike. The feeling of cold pebblecrete under my feet, and the cool wind on my skin as I stood in one of the most recognisable places in the world. It was an experience that will remain with me forever and I am so grateful for the opportunity, and for the friends who stood along side me and made it even more wonderful.
