Spencer Tunick has orchestrated another mass photo shoot, this time on Astor Place early today.
Tunick has joined forces with the National Coalition Against Censorship for a project called #WeTheNipple. As artnet noted last month, "the effort is a direct challenge to Facebook and Instagram’s community guidelines, which prohibit nudity, regardless of artistic merit."
Tunick, who has organized and photographed more than 120 large groups of nude people around the world, has been at odds with the two social media platforms in recent years.
As he told Esquire in April:
"I get it. I don’t want my daughters on an Instagram full of pornography. But there has to be a way artists can have a voice to show their works. There has to be some formula, whether it’s the YouTube way where you’re reviewed and there’s an 18-or-older button that’s pressed. Or, for starters, equalize the male and female nipple and not deem the female nipple as violent."
And this morning on Astor Place, Tunick and between 100 to 200 nude models gathered to send a message to Facebook, who has offices at 770 Broadway (somewhere above the Kmart!).
Per the Instagram post on the action:
"These are all male nipple stickers covering female presenting nipples and male nipple cards covering all the participant’s genitalia. There is no reason for Facebook or Instagram to censor this video or block from hashtags."
H/T Carol from East 5th Street!
Updated 4:30 p.m.
Here's some more coverage of the action (thanks Daniel!)...
• The Daily Mail
• CNN
[Image by Fay Fox via]
