People holding up roses during the nude installation by photographer Spencer Tunick during the Midsummer Festival at Blarney Castle. Plans are in place to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the photo shoot. Picture Dan Linehan

Ten years on: You ready to help recreate naked body shoot?

A MASS nude photo shoot, entitled ‘One Thousand Bodies’, is being organised in Cork and volunteers are needed to get involved.

The photoshoot is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of US photographer Spencer Tunick’s visit to Ireland in 2008 and the naked body shoot he did at Blarney Castle during his visit.

Participants are being asked to help create three iconic photographs addressing the subjects of cycle safety, environmental protection and the power and beauty of the human body, regardless of commercial definitions.

The World Cork Naked Bike Ride in progress in Cork in 2016. Picture: Des Barry.

One of the organisers, Art Davey, said the registration for the event had been going well and there was a large number of people already signed up to take part in the photo installation.

“There are a lot of people travelling to Cork from other countries to take part. There has not been anything like this in Ireland since Spencer Tunick’s visit 10 years ago,” he said.

Sixty marshalls are needed to steward the event, putting people in the correct positions

for the strategic photoshoot which will be taken by photographer David Hegarty from an unconfirmed tall building in Cork.

Mr Davey said it would take a bit of work, but it was worth it.

“We need 60 clothed marshalls to steward the event and so far we have one. Everyone wants to be involved in the picture, but if there is anyone who would like to be involved and is too shy to be in the photo, please get in touch,” he said.

Anyone who wants to don garments and pose for the camera or to marshall the event is invited to take part by registering their interest online at [email protected]

The naked photo shoot is intended to take place on the morning of Cork’s 10th World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) day on June 16 and is a Community Arts movement which is being carried out without a budget.

The naked bike ride will take place at 3pm on June 16 and will take approximately 90 minutes.

It started when six cyclists died in separate road accidents in Zaragoza, Spain in 2001.

As a protest, friends of theirs cycled naked for an afternoon to draw attention to how vulnerable a cyclist is in a collision, and as a means of guaranteeing that motorists would notice them on this day at least.

It has grown to a global phenomenon, taking place in more than 100 cities, has added the theme of global oil dependency, and has become a celebration of the power and individuality of the human body supporting sustainable Transport.

Many cyclists will be wearing body paint with slogans are they make their way through town.

As well as naked participants, the naked bike ride needs a number of clothed volunteers, such as route planners, press relations officers, flag makers, leaflet distributors, garda liaison and first aiders.

A number of official photographers will be manning the route of the cycle taking his quality pics of the event.

To sign up email your name, mobile phone number and role you would like in the event to [email protected]