New York photographer seeks volunteers to pose naked for art project in southern Spain

New York photographer Spencer Tunick is looking for volunteers to take part in an artistic project that he will be creating in Granada on 20 September, entitled 'Portrait Alhambra 1925'. The project marks the centenary of the city's Alhambra brewery.

There is no limit to the number of volunteers and those who do sign up will be asked to pose naked, but with green make-up, in an olive grove near the city. They will receive a copy of the resulting photograph signed by the artist by way of thanks.

Tunick explains that the volunteers will be asked to arrive early in the morning and that the session will finish by midday. He is encouraging "shy" people to join in as they will be wearing make-up.

Tunick says, "I've always liked art, not only photography, but also sculpture and painting. When I was young, my mother took me to the Museum of Modern Art, where Henri Rousseau's The Dream was on display. There was a naked woman, reclining, surrounded by nature. I feel that by doing the work we are going to do in Granada I am returning to that origin of my vocation, as we are going to work in a natural environment, with the green of the olive groves as the main protagonist, and all the people posing for the photo will be wearing green make-up, the colour of the bottle of Alhambra 1925".

He goes on to say, "I consider myself an artist who does photography, not just a photographer." Returning to the work of art that influenced the start of his vocation, the next question is whether he dreams about what he is going to do before he does it. "I don't dream at night, but I dream a lot during the day," he answers. "I live daydreams. And this is what happened to me in the case of Granada. On the journey between Madrid, where my plane landed and that city, I looked out of the car window, saw those fields, and imagined what this installation could be like when I saw the leafy branches of the olive trees, the undulations of the landscape, and the image that the bodies in contact with that environment would give."

One of the characteristic elements of Tunick's work is his treatment of colour. The international code assigns red to passion and blood, white to purity, yellow to the sun and blue to the sea and sky. Green is the colour of nature and the environment, but for the artist it is also the colour of growth and renewal. In addition, his installation also has a vindictive component. "I know that the climate in the south of Spain is becoming more and more extreme and that the vegetation is disappearing. It's an opportunity to remember that," he says.

Granada, its landscape and its light were in Tunick's mind before he got to know the city. "When I came here I saw that green has a direct relationship with the life of the people of Granada and I'm glad it's the colour that's going to dominate the project.

To register for the project go to www.retratoalhambra1925.com.