A total of 5500 nude participants came together for RISING TIDE, a live installation created by New York artist Spencer Tunick for Brisbane’s Story Bridge. The event was part of the city’s Melt Festival 2024, which celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community and diversity, equity and inclusion.
The bridge was closed to traffic from 1am to 7am. Over several hours, Tunick captured the installation from multiple points.
Tunick’s international work has a long history, but he has noted that this latest event was extraordinary, and his largest Australian work so far. “Photographing all the participants on the bridge was like looking down the mouth of a whale, filled with love and diversity,” he said.
Among the thousands who participated were many stories of personal empowerment. “I wanted to be part of something bigger,” one model shared. “I’ve gone through illness and you just get to a point where so many people have seen your bits over the years that you just go ‘why not?’ It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
The work is being showcased alongside more of Tunick’s work in his Tide Exhibition as part of Melt Festival 2024.
