It was chilly on the steps of the Sydney Opera House at sunrise last Monday morning, with not a stitch of clothing. But the sense of comaraderie, optimism and excitement amongst the 5,000 other participants in Spencer Tunick's "The Base" was palpable. Waves of body heat would waft through the throng and a delightful, subtle but pervasive perfume permeated the event. With a 3.30am start for most of us we knew that everyone there was equally keen to be a part of art history in the making.

All shapes and sizes, every conceivable body type, was present though one thing that struck me was how few coloured people were there. It was without a doubt mostly a white person's event, at least from where I was standing, which surprised me considering the diverse population of Sydney. There were certainly some very beautiful people and some very beautifully decorated people, amongst the crowd; straight couples, gay couples and lots of individuals who seemingly had no trouble making intimate aquaintence with a stranger when Spencer requested a shot of everyone kissing, or at least embracing, the person next to them.

But it was the ordinary-ness of the event which really struck home. How completely relaxed we all were with our nakedness, with our sameness amidst the apparent differences. When we were asked to raise both hands high in the air it was like being in a dense forest. I left feeling inspired and uplifted but mostly just very calm. It was also empowering insofar as images of masses of naked humans has always, since first seeing such films as an adolescent, taken me to the Nazi gas chambers of WW2. Being a part of The Base has totally transformed that experience.


Late in January this year I took part in ESP Gallery's "New Work:New Decade", creating a piece related to my street artworks on-site at the Marrickville gallery, more or less completing it during the opening night, as a performance piece. At the close of the exhibition I continued working on Large Untitled No2 (Urban Landscape) in my studio until I felt it was complete and ready to submit for the Wynne at the Art Gallery of NSW. Judging is next week.