If you’ve ever thought you might like to model naked for an artist but then felt nervous about doing so alone, then how about posing in a group? 
Spirited Bodies is a unique life art event where people model nude for artists in groups. Artists will enjoy a day of intense creativity and a rare chance to work from multiple models at once. At the same time people who have always liked try modelling nude for an artist can do so within the comfort of a group.
Many of the participating models have never modelled for artists before – and may never do so again. Their motives include doing something daring to prove that they can, challenging their own body confidence issues, contributing to the artistic process, or charging at the social invisibility conferred by increasing age.
Models attending previous Spirited Bodies events say:
‘Getting naked is something I have wanted to do for some time. The experience represents for me a departure from past long held feelings of shame and guilt attached to my body and sexuality to a feeling of joy, freedom, creativity and expression.’
‘Being in a group of women felt very safe and it was very beautiful to see everyone transforming from nervous and shy to empowered.’
‘It ups my concentration and makes me draw more adventurously”
‘Groups force new requirements – depth – separating – relationships of shapes’
Spirited Bodies will be part of London Drawing’s Drawing Theatre series for 2012, with the next Spirited Bodies event taking place on Saturday 11th February 2012 at the Battersea Arts Centre, hosted by London Drawing.
Spirited Bodies’ models are guided and supported by professional artists’ models led by Esther Bunting, director, Spirited Bodies. She says: “Modelling for the first time by yourself for a group of artists can be difficult – getting naked in public is still taboo.
“It may be much easier to be nude alongside others doing the same. We all have body issues, however young, thin, fit, old, fat we are – life modelling can enable people to re-engage with their physical selves in a positive way, changing how you feel about yourself. We set up Spirited Bodies to give people that opportunity.”
London Drawing developed the Drawing Theatre to play with the barriers between artists and models in life drawing. After six years developing creative life drawing programmes for Tate Modern, London Drawing launched the Drawing Theatre sessions in the Battersea Arts Centre, an exciting building which lends itself to creative pursuits.
“The Drawing Theatre is a spectacular fusion of theatre and drawing. It takes the passivity out of life drawing, creating a vibrant connection between performers and artists, to the benefit of both. It reminds artists that they are drawing people, not statues, and dynamic poses infused with emotion challenge artists to be their best, which is why artists who come to Drawing Theatre get so much out of it” Says Anne Noble Partridge, founder, London Drawing.
Poses will range from 1 – 2 minutes to 30 minutes, with different levels of interaction between the models. The action will take place in several rooms at the Battersea Arts Centre.
Previous Spirited Bodies have ranged from 18 – 67 in age, come from over 10 countries, in all sorts of body shapes and sizes.
For more information, see Esther’s blog Spirited Bodies and Spirited Bodies page on Facebook and London Drawing’s website http://www.londondrawing.com
Please get in touch if you would like to model now or at future events.
For artists to book: please call the Battersea Arts Centre box office: 020 7223 2223 Or book online at BAC’s website.
Tickets cost £45 for the day, drawing materials provided.
Have you posed nude for an artist or would you want to? Let us know what you think below…
