On Sunday, August 6th, 2006, the internationally renowned installation artist, Spencer Tunick, with the support of museum Kunst Palast, created a three-dimensional body sculpture involving over 800 nude people in Dusseldorf, Germany.
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For five hours 840 people, some of who had come from as far away as Craggy Island, posed nude in a variety of attitudes - in a pyramid, arms in the air, bending down or crowding round a tree.

 I must first state that I am writing this for the web site owner as he could not make this one, and I think it should not be missed off the web site as this site is one of the best site’s about taking part in installations by Spencer Tunick. After reading the story’s on this site it convinced me more to do my first installation in Newcastle in July 2005. And I hope it will help others. I do not think it will be up to his normal standard so please forgive me.

Well I heard rumours about "Dusseldorf" after I did my first installation in Newcastle and since then I have done Lyon, & San Sebastian, so I am getting a bit of an old hand. The rumours became stronger until we got the date of 24th September 2006.

I registered on the web site and planned my trip; I got nice cheap flights and found a very nice looking hotel at a very good price.

There was a warning about not booking to soon because of changes, but I still booked any way as I have a different hobby, I can do instead if things change, and then it did. I looked on the Spencertunickform web site and noticed the date had changed; the installation was now on the 6^th of August with only 2 weeks notice. We had been warned.

At first I said to my self oh well may be next time, I did not think I would get a cheap flight hotel etc in August with just 2 weeks notice, but I had a look on the internet and I found to my surprise the same hotel for about the same price and the flights at not must more so there were booked, with it about half and hour of getting the change of date I was all booked up.

I arrived in Dusseldorf on the Saturday and after having a look around I set off for my hotel which was in Neuss which is just across the river Rhine from Dusseldorf. Tram number 709 would take me to with in short walk of the hotel, I found the city trams to be very good and made good use of them over the weekend.

The "Holiday Inn" Dusseldorf /Neuss is very nice and as I got there I could see why it was cheap at the weekend, it was in the middle of a very large office complex. I noticed many well know names, so I guess there must have been a lot of head or regional office’s for some of the worlds biggest companies. But at the weekend the place was quiet with no-one about at all.

I checked in and booked a taxi for a 3:30am pick up (The trams did not start that early) and an early morning call for 3:00am. The receptionist did find this a bit odd.

"Do you mean Monday morning, not Sunday?" Oh yes I said Sunday morning, "Oh well ok" My room was very nice and I decided on an early night as I had been up all the night before at Heathrow, and this was the first installation that I have had a good nights sleep before hand. I guess I am getting an old hand!

I had set my alarm for 2:45 and had the booked call for a back up, but I was up before the alarm and I was showered and dressed by the time the early morning call came. The receptionist was very surprised how quick and cheerfully I answered the call.

At 3:30 the Taxi pulled up at the front of the hotel, first problem he did not speak English and I do not speak German, He did not know were the museum kunst palast was, this was the meeting point we had been given in the final email, meet before 4:30 at the museum kunst palast it said.

I showed him the email print out but he had still not heard of it, I showed him a map I had printed out with the tram stops marked on in for my return, and he still could not get it! Any way he said "Dusseldorf" and I reply yes and we set of in the right way.

Luckily we were stopped by some lights to let Mr and Mrs invisible pass the other way, and a second taxi pulled up along side, my driver jumped out and started asking the other driver the way, there was a lot of arm waving and the lights changed 2 to 3 times, the 2^nd driver spoke a little English, He said my driver did not know the way and he would take me instead, so I had to paid up of my trip round the Conner and then start again. (And he did not get a tip!).

I got dropped at the museum kunst palast at about 03:50. There were a few people milling about, mostly with plastic bags, we had been asked to bring a bag and a towel as we may get wet in a fountain! I used the bag I got from the duty free shop in Heathrow as it was a nice big bag, and a towel with I nicked from the hotel sauna. This was the first time I had been asked to bring a bag as all the other installations we had them given to as, but this was no problem, and was a benefit in the end as you know which bag is yours and they are not all the same.

I found some steps and sat down, in the dark I saw a silhouette figure of a man I had met before, Steve was his name and I had met him for the first time in Lyon and then again in San Sebastian. We got talking and we returned to the steps so Steve could get some sleep as he had no hotel and the guards would not let him sleep in the park

As we sat on the steps we were joined by others, and then a film crew came along, I guess he asked for people to be filmed or give an interview, as I can not speak German I do not no what he asked but he got no interest from any one on the steps and there walked away disappointed.

It was almost 4:30 and the tables had been set up near the entrance and the area cordoned of, we were asked to hand in are Model release forms at the tables and as we did so we were given a yellow card, "I wonder what this is for?" if we get a red one do we get sent off? Is this some warning for people who had done this before? I guess we will find out in good time.

Time when on and more people came, more and more of the familiar cream coloured taxi’s pulled up, it got me wondering if my first taxi driver was asked for any more trips to the museum kunst palest, he must have wondered what was going on?

The sun was coming up now and Spencer addressed as for the first time, most of the people seemed to speak good English but the interpreter relayed his message any way.

It was the normal one, the one I had heard a few time’s now, "No clothes completely nude, no hat shoes etc, and glasses to be put in your hand for the shot, and thanks to the museum kunst palest for setting it all up". He then said that the people who had been given the yellow cards were the people to go on to 3 sided pyramid which had be set up in the court yard at the front of the museum kunst palest . These where to go on first and he would do one shot with just these people, but then he asked if we had posed before and had a yellow card could we please pass it on to some one else. He said the rest of as would join in at the front of the pyramid after the first shot.

I felt like a football referee waving my yellow card about and my and Steve’s cards were soon snapped up by a young couple, this lead to a conversation about where we were from and how many we had done, it was there first time for Spencer, but not for being nude as they were naturists, and it did seem in the end most people there had no problem with being nude and there seemed to be very few tan lines.

We were all waiting now for the light, Kris who I had met in Lyon and again at the Newcastle opening came over and said hello. Then the call came for the first lot of people, and I must say it did not have the same buzz as the other installations as every one gets nude together, it was a bit subdued. I guess it is the German way getting nude seems no problem? This just left as returning posers and the people whom were last to turn up.

We soon got the call to join in, it was a little cool but was ok, I striped off and placed my things in my duty free bag and walked to the pyramid. Now it seems that all the people that had posed before were now at the front, some thing we were asked not to do? Any way that was the way it was, people with tan lines where asked to move the side, and Spencer came down and moved a few people around, some with large tattoos and very bad tan lines were moved well to the back. Some one had got shoes on and Spencer happily throws the shoes as far a way as he could! In the front was a mum with a young child, the little one did not seem to be liking his experience Spencer tried to cheer them up by a High 5 them but it did not work.

When he had people as he wanted them, we were asked to turn around stoop down with your heads down, I was on the path in the front and it was very sharp, I think in looked like crushed slate? And very hard on you feet and other parts later! The people on the pyramid had to bend at the waist with there heads down. The press were they in big numbers the most I had seen before at an installation, there were in one side of the court yard and from the up stairs windows of the building.

The next pose was for as to lie down on are sides with are backs to Spencer in just any order e.g. no set pattern. Great more crushed slate, Steve some how moved to the grass. The people on the pyramid were asked to move around so all the metal edges of the steps were covered up and this took a little time. He took a number of shots like this and asked as to wave are left hand in the air, but not to move too much, Once again great this was not easy when you on you left side! He took a number of shots like that, and then the fountain was turned on, we got the spay down the front, and from the noise from the top of the pyramid I guess there were getting wetter, it was nice clean water from the mains but it must have been cold at the top! Spencer took a few like this and then asked as to keep going with the hand waving/getting wet for 3 to 4 more minutes, as he was shooting video, a number of calls went up "3 to 4 minutes," there did not need a interpreter for that one and Spencer repeated ask for people to be quite for the video. With that over we moved back to where are clothes were, I was surprised by the number of people getting dressed and going, I guess it is not to all tastes.

The next Setup was to be in front for the Oederallee which is a large round brick building with a long flight of steps up the front there is a road in between the garden area where we were, and the Oederallee. Too statues are half way up the steps, one of two nude men and one of a nude man and women.

Spencer had a cherry picker setup at the other end of the garden to Oederalle and the idea was for as to lie down along the paths and form a cross, with are head on the path edge and are feet to the middle. More crushed slate! Then he had a change of heart and we were to lie on the grass with are heads on the path edge and are feet going away from it. Nice and soft. People started to line the path and I could see from early on that there was not enough path for ever one! I got my spot but Steve along with a few others did not get into this setup and had to sit it out.

When all was sorted we were asked to lie down it was I bit of a squeeze, I was next to 2 men where are all the nice girls when you need them! The grass was nice and soft but now I would have had the crushed slate any day, we were asked to lie still but the grass was covered in ants and other biting things and you could feel them all over you!

Spencer was now ready but there were people on the road in shot and they had to be removed, and 2 people high on the steps of the Oederallee had to be move, and just when they all get moved a white van man parks his Van right in the middle, he soon got moved on, By this time I have been had for lunch for many things and I just wanted it over! I hoped he did not get as to put arms and legs up as he had done in Lyon, but to my relief that was it that setup was over and I bushed my self down.

(Writing this now I have 40 big red bite marks on my body, mostly on my legs and luckily not in any sensitive parts but it is very painful the things you do from art.)

Spencer had as all together again and asked the women to get dressed as the next setup was men only. He said the next one would then be women only and then a 50 50 pick men to women. So the women got dressed and Spencer walked the men through the park to a funny looking tree. It is not a very big tree and he asked as to be "Lions around and up a tree" what do lions do on trees?

It took a few minutes to sink in that he was not joking, I was near the tree and could have got a spot in the tree but I am a lazy lion and reclined down at the back of the tree.

Most people tried to get to the front and they were so many there that there could not lie down. Spencer asked them to move but not much movement happened, I guess they all wanted to be at the front? In the end he was getting a little despondent and had to come down and say you, you and you move to the side or out. Any way when ever one was ready we did a few shots some laying one way and then the other way, all the time tiring to look like lions. Then he moved the people on the side to the back to cover a path and we did a few more, by this time the press were getting out of they cordon and one film crew started to use Spencer’s steps and he was not happy with that! The park did not seem to be closed to the public and we started to get a lot of people watching? When this was done Spencer ask all the 18 to 27 year olds to go to one side where he gave out 50 green forms for the setup in side.

We returned to the women and he asked all the 18 to 29 year old women to one side these would do the women only setup and then 50 would be picked to go with the 50 men for the inside setup. He thanked all the men and the rest of the women for coming and said that was all that was needed from them; I do feel a bit sorry for the older women as some would have only done one set up or at most two? But I guess that is the name of the game.

The select few went into museum to do a setup in front of a Rubens painting from the photos I have seen on the web this looked very good and it was right to use the young people for this setup.

The time was now 8:45 and we were all done, the weather was fine and was getting a little warmer the sun was now fully up, I returned to my clothes to find I had been invaded by ants, yes I did really have ants in my pants! I had to shake out the bag and my clothes to get all the ants out, I got dressed and was about to say my good bye’s to Steve when a man who was sitting behind us with his girl friend came over and started asking me about the other installations I had done where I was from, why did I do it etc, he then said he was from the local paper, and I was cool with that it nice to see the reporter doing the experience and not just making fun of it from the side lines.

Steve returned from taking a few photos and the reporter asked him the same questions, I wonder if we got quoted in the local paper? I forgot to ask him which one!

We said are good bye’s and we when are own way I walked up Scheibenstrasse to the tram stop to get tram number 701 and then change to tram 709 to the hotel, this was nice and easy and not like the taxi ride in the morning. If only the trams had run early.

When I got back to the hotel I still had an hour before breakfast ended so I washed up and had some thing to eat, it seemed like lunch as I been up for so long.

I returned to room and had a shower and dressed in some clean clothes, and returned to the museum with my camera to take a few photos.

On my return the only thing left was the pyramid now fenced off so no one could get on it. Did people know what happen here early today? They were looking puzzled at the pyramid I took a number of shots from where we had done the setups and of Düsseldorf from the bridge over the Rhine.

I return once again to the hotel so I could watch the F1 on the TV, I hope to stay awake to see the end, some I had missed when I did the same thing in San Sebastian and fell asleep. This almost happens again until Jenson Button took the lead and then won this first grand prix great! It really woke me up. Thanks Jenson.

My fight was not back until Monday night so I had a day in Düsseldorf, in the end I had a good time, and the people of Düsseldorf were very nice. I will be returning in September once again on the planned first date as I have it booked so I will see it all again.

Thanks Spencer for a good experience, this has turned out to be the smallest installation I have done at about 750, at times we had to many people, I wonder what would, have happened if the 1^st date had happened and more people had turned up? Any way roll on the next one.