The Naked World of Spencer Tunick

The Atlantic has 33 images by Spencer Tunick of nakedness around the world, as it says: For 20 years now, New York-based photographer Spencer Tunick has been creating human art installations all over the world, calling together volunteers by the hundreds or thousands, asking them to remove their clothes, and photographing them in massive groups. His philosophy is that “individuals en masse, without their clothing, grouped together, metamorphose into a new shape.” He aims to create an architecture of flesh, where the masses of human bodies blend with the landscape, or juxtapose with architecture. Collected here are images from several of his installations as they were being composed. Warning: The following photos all depict naked human bodies, and are not screened out. The nudity is central to Tunick’s art.  See all of the images here

Naked volunteers pose for the US photographer Spencer Tunick on the largest glacier in the Alps, Aletsch glacier, in Switzerland, as part of an environmental campaign about global warming near the mountain resort of Bettmeralp, on August 18, 2007. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Naked volunteers lie on Aletsch glacier, posing for photographer Spencer Tunick as part of an environmental campaign about global warming, on August 18, 2007. The campaign organized by Greenpeace is aimed at drawing attention to melting Alpine glaciers, a clear sign of global warming and man-made climate change according to the organization. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Naked volunteers stand look toward Aletsch glacier, posing for photographer Spencer Tunick as part of an environmental campaign about global warming on August 18, 2007. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Naked volunteers, numbering around 1700 people, pose for U.S. artist Spencer Tunick in downtown Munich, on June 23, 2012. (Reuters/Michaela Rehle)

You can the rest of these strange but compelling images here