Dare to Bare | Cork Midsummer Festival

Dare to Bare was a project by American photographer Spencer Tunick that invited large groups of nude volunteers to pose in public places for a series of striking photographs. This performance in 2008 was his first work in Ireland and comprised a number of installations in Cork and then in Dublin. The photoshoot took place at Blarney Castle and featured 1000 nude volunteers that Tunick gathered via a public open call. In exchange for taking part, participants were gifted a limited edition photograph by the artist, made in Ireland.

“I’m very happy, I can’t believe over 1,000 people showed up; I was expecting a little bit lower than that – they are very rebellious down here in Cork and I’m very happy about that” Spencer Tunick after completing the main group scene shots.

Artist Spencer Tunick is recognized world-wide for his elaborately posed still and video images of multiple nude figures in public settings. His temporary site-specific installations have taken place around the globe in cities including Montreal, Melbourne, Lyon, London, Newcastle-Gateshead, Santiago, New York, Mexico City and Barcelona to name a few. Tunick gathers volunteers to participate in the making of his work which, in the past, have totaled anywhere from 100 - 18,000 participants. The photograph from his Greenpeace project on Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland was named Time Magazine’s Picture of the Year 2007. From his beginnings documenting individual live nudes in public locations in NYC he has taken his celebration of the nude form international having photographed over 75 temporary site-specific related installations all over the world.