Spencer Tunick: Scope Out 2014

Spencer Tunick came to the UK to create a series of individual nude portraits of local people for his exhibition, curated by Strange Cargo at their Georges House Gallery. Scope Out was described by Spencer Tunick as his “homage to film”. At a time when film stock is becoming scarcer, the exhibition focused on his relationship with this very traditional method of capturing an image. The exhibition possessed another very personal dimension for the artist, as his chosen method of displaying the portraits was in simple, colourful keychain viewing scopes – a rekindling of a photographic device from his formative years. In addition to the new portraits, visitors to the exhibition were able to view Tunick’s personal archive of scopes that were also be exhibited in the gallery. Scope Out was part of the national Museums at Night Festival organised by Culture24.

Thanks to Arts Council England, Culture24, Shepway District Council, Folkestone Town Council.

Photo credits: Luke Yates and Folkestone Herald.

This was the first time Spencer Tunick had made his artwork at the UK seaside and earlier in the year 3736 people voted to bring him to the town, with many of them signing up to be involved as participants.

The event, described by the artist as a “performative photographic action”, took place a few days prior to the exhibition at a secluded seaside location, with the English Channel as the backdrop. The 156 people, who have been selected to pose for photographic portraits, were then be presented with their own personal Scope at the Museums at Night event on 17th May 2014, to keep as a souvenir of their involvement; a cherished memento of their seaside adventure with Spencer Tunick.

Spencer Tunick stages scenes in which the battle of nature against culture is played out against various backdrops, from civic centres to desert sandstorms, man and woman are returned to a preindustrial, pre-everything state of existence. Tunick has travelled the globe to create these still and video images of multiple nude figures in public settings. Organising groups from a handful of participants to tens of thousands, all volunteers, is often logistically daunting; the subsequent images transcend ordinary categories and meld sculpture and performance in a new genre. His most notable installations have been commissioned by Art Basel, Switzerland (1999), Institut Cultura, Barcelona (2003), XXV Biennial de Sao Paulo, Brazil (2002), The Saatchi Gallery in London (2003), MOCA Cleveland (2004) and Vienna Kunsthalle (2008).