Sea of Hull: Spencer Tunick invites people of Hull to strip off for City of Culture nude art installation

The event will take place on Saturday 9 July so no nudity in the midst of Storm Katie is required

More than 1,000 nude Israelis pose for US photographer Spencer Tunick's first Middle East mass shoot in 2011 (Getty Images)

If you live in Hull, you could be given the opportunity to strip off and join a mass naked art installation.

US photographer Spencer Tunick, known for his large-scale nude images from around the world, is behind the one-off event scheduled to take place on Saturday 9 July when glorious sunshine should hopefully be forecast.

The final result, “Sea of Hull” will be unveiled in 2017 when the city takes the prestigious title of UK City of Culture.

Hundreds of people will be invited to take part in the artwork, which will see them covered in a specially formulated cosmetic body make-up and positioned in front of the camera.

They will be painted in multiple colours of the sea to create abstract shapes that separate the body from the pavement in dramatic ways.

New York- based Tunick has created more than 90 installations at landmarks and cities including the Sydney Opera House, Place des Arts in Montreal, Mexico City, Ernest Happel Stadium in Vienna and Munich in Germany.

He is “very interested” in the history of Hull and “its place as a seafaring centre and its relationship to a rich maritime past”.

“It intrigues me that in some places where there are major streets or parks today, previously there was water,” Tunick said. “To reflect this I’ll be using body paint so that the massed people create the idea of a sea of humanity flooding the urban landscape.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in art who wants to pose nude but is modest. The body paint will help many participants to overcome their inhibitions - after all, they will still be covered in a way.”


 Spencer Tunick has become known around the world for his mass nude art installations

The 49-year-old artist will create a second installation on Sunday 10 July in North Lincolnshire, inviting a select group of participants from the Hull project to take part.

Those interested can register online before 15 May. Anyone over 18 can take part and all participants will receive a limited edition photograph in exchange.

Tunick’s work will form part of an exhibition in 2017 and be purchased for the permanent collection at Hull’s Ferens Art Gallery.

Additional reporting by Press Association