a thousand people pose naked for photographer Spencer Tunick

Nearly a thousand naked people were gathered on Saturday July 15 in the streets and on the beaches of Kuopio, in central Finland, by the American plastic photographer Spencer Tunick.

“Today, the land of a thousand lakes has become the land of a thousand nudes”Spencer Tunick, famous for his shots of fully naked crowds, told AFP, while the volunteers were guided by loudspeaker.

The participants first posed in the street, around flowery installations, then on the beach and in the water. “I wanted to put the body in tune with Kuopio and the lakes of northern Finland”explained the artist, expressing his deep appreciation for the volunteers ready to undress. “It’s something very rare to give the public the opportunity to take part in the creative process”argued Spencer Tunick.

After Sydney and Mexico

In November, around 2,500 people gathered naked on a famous beach in Sydney, Australia, as part of an installation by the same artist to raise awareness about skin cancer.

This event called Strip Off for Skin Cancer (“Take your clothes off for skin cancer”) was organized in collaboration with an association encouraging Australians to be regularly examined by a dermatologist.

Spencer Tunick is known for his massive stripteases staged at very famous venues around the world. In particular, he undressed more than 5,000 people in front of the Sydney Opera House in 2010, and 18,000 people – his record – in the Zocalo, the central square of Mexico City, in 2007.