Before you read the cool letter about the Spencer Tunick BodyScape experience in Melbourne, I want to promote the Domai Art Contest.

As you can see, the prizes are very worthwhile, and we hope to get lots of quality entries. So I would like to get your help. Send notice of the contest to your artist friends, OK? And maybe even post in on notice boards, or send an e-mail about it to a publication or two? Thank you very much.

Eolake Stobblehouse
contact

A couple of years ago I was studying abroad in Sydney, Australia. Now, my school had an enormous study abroad program; there were 3 programs in Australia alone. So there was a trip coordinated over a week that we go to Melbourne; that is students from all three programs. I was certainly looking forward to it, as i'd heard Melbourne was quite a contemporary and cosmopolitan city, and also, of course, i'd get to see friends I hadn't seen in months.

The sydney crew got there earlier than the rest, which was in fact not early at all. So we ate dinner and some of the guys started checking around about the bars around. When the rest arrived we went out, and we rolled deep---there must've been close to 50 of us. We looked like some sort of field trip!

Anyways, as it is bound to happen with such a big group, the masses dissipated into the few. I personally, though I still cant figure out how it happened, found myself with five adorable girls, none of whom was I knew all that well.

We found ourselves wandering the streets of Melbourne after the bars closed, grabbing late-nite snacks and smoking marlboro lites. It was late and the weather was crappy, raining on and offf, and cold, and we began to turn our attentions to finding a way home. We were certain we could make it without aid of a cab, or at least Grace the most assertive amongst us was.

I was sobering up (and I hadn't been too drunk to begin with) but was nevertheless buzzing off the beauty of these girls. Chrissy I absolutely love. She's extremely shy in such a cute way and awkwardly Graceful. She isnt beautiful in any traditional sense, but no one could possibly deny that she is beautiful. She's got strong facial features and a meaty posterior, and large breasts that had been largely exposed to the night, and to me, via the vehicles of fog and rain that wetted her thin white blouse and cause it to cling to her chest as sheer as plastic wrap. Noticing this with conflicting arousal and empathy, and noticing her shiver and her hands clutching her elbows, perhaps due to the cold or to hide her unhidden chest--and it was quite clear she was very conscious of such, especially due to the fact that she was not wearing a bra---i had offered her my jacket which she gladly accepted.

Out of these girls, it was Grace that I had best befriended; this was wholly due to the fact that she was studying in sydney with me. Before sydney, I had met Grace maybe twice, if that. But we'd gotten to know one another in sydney. It was true we hadn't really hung out much together, but that was only because Grace was the kind of girl who would do her own thing. She hung out with a lot of aussies and french and dutch and irish students, whereas the majority of the kids from my school stuck together.

The rest of these girls that I was presently with were in the brisbane program. With the exception of Colleen, they were actually a very, very tight-knit crew. They were roommates, the three of them, back at school in the states and were constantly together---well, to some extent. Jo had had a boyfriend and was pretty much a homebody; I don't think i'd seen her out anywhere once, and truly dont think she ever really went out. she's a really enjoyable girl, and I always have fun when I do get the random chance to hang out with her. Infinitely nice, and cool. Janie and Chrissy were certainly a pack. And an awesome one at that. Like I said, I would never have considered myself friends with these girls, although I did run into them a great deal. I had worshipped Chrissy since freshman year. My relationship with her was such that, being that I am incredibly shy, I would only work up the nerve to talk to her when I was very drunk, and in such cases drunk-chat with her. I had had a thing for Janie as well. She is just such a cute sprite of a girl, and I actually hooked up with her once, but nothing came of it.

So, I was cold without my jacket, and wet and gross. Despite my pleasant company, I desperately wanted to get back to the hotel. Walking along, we encountered two young girls in their mid- to late- twenties. Grace asked them for directions. One began to oblige, but the other cut her off:

"you're not sticking around?"

"why stick around?" asked Janie.

"you mean you haven't heard?!" asked the other with a bit of derision towards us dumb yankees. "or you just don't want to pose?"

"pose? For what?" I asked.

They begin to tell us about this artist Spencer Tunick (whom I sure some of you have heard of) who asks people to be part of "bodyscapes"--these photographs of masses of naked people. Of course we didn't know what to think at first; none of us ever having heard of such a guy, we didn't know whether we should give this crazy story credence. The ladies told us that at least a thousand people were going to be photographed together here in Melbourne.

After some scoffing and some smiling, Colleen finally wrote it off, saying, "i saw something about this guy on tv," she said shaking her head. "he like just goes around asking random people to pose bare-assed for him. He's a definite--"

Chrissy chimed in happily: "let's do it!"

She looked around at all of us with a wide smile on her face. I thought at first, as I think most of us did, that she was joking. She wasn't. She was dead serious, and I never would've expected it from Chrissy. She was shyest and most restrained of all of us. If it had been Grace or Janie, I wouldn't have been surprised. both have a sort of almost unbelieveable innocent purity and crazed energy that render them carefree. But not Chrissy--she's so self-conscious.

In the quiet of this moment, I lept past the damp chill which possessed me an intense warmth came upon me in a curious and powerful love for Chrissy. I felt an extremely soothing connection with her when I knew she was for real. It was a feeling I never knew I had within me, but I knew there was great goodness in her proclamation.

"but it's so cold! How could we...uh..?" Colleen asked.

Grace was certainly into it from the start: "who cares? This is really, really cool. We have to do it!"

Janie actually took convincing. Jo didn't say anything. Janie was still mulling over it, when Grace looked at me. "so," she inquired, serious, though smirking, "you in?" All eyes were on me---i guess cause I was a guy and I had a different set of genitalia to expose.

"why not?" I was admittedly nervous though. (for one, I feared I might get an erection.)

At my agreement, Janie caved. "good," said our new friend amanda, "why don't u just follow us to the meeting site?"

We did. Jo and Colleen looked nervous. It was obvious they didn't want to. It was a short walk before we saw people, and when we did immediate action was taken.

Grace was the first. We were among about fifteen other people walking towards the meeting site when Grace's panties landed on my shoulder. I turned toward my shoulder and towards her, and with raised eyebrows picked up the red thong with my thumb and middle finger. Holding it up I looked at her. Never would've figured Grace for one to wear a thong...."um...what should I do with this?"

She smirked, disinterested, "whatever you want, doll."

Not knowing what to do I pocketed it. Grace definitly looked like she was up to something. She was. Next thing I knew she was up ahead of me and flipping up her skirt mooning me and Colleen. But when she unzipped her skirt and pulled it off I was a bit shocked. She turned it around and she was covering herself before she handed the skirt to Colleen, whose jaw was agape like mine, but who was certainly somewhat disgusted. Grace wasn't showing a bit of embarassment. Around us were fiteen to twenty people in jackets, most of them heavy, and i'm fairly certain that at this moment everyone of them had their eyes on Grace. Grace is certainly pretty, but again, not in the traditional sense. She is bubbly and small-shouldered with large breasts, breasts I would in a minute get to see naked and beautiful. She took off her sweater, handed it to Colleen, and told me to unlatch her red bra, which I did. She grabbed her skirt and sweater from Colleen, who looked almost angry, and that was that: she walked along clotheless, shining in the cold night in her full glory.

And I must say it was magnificent. I was struck dumb. It was a most extraordinary moment, as were those to come. She walked along with a stride free of social make-up. She was there for us to see. This was really Grace. I'd never seen anybody like that before. It was amazing.

The six of us huddled around her. Colleen was first to point out the obvious, "but Grace, no one is naked yet."

"i dont care. It's kinda cool to be the first. Donchya think?" She looked so amazingly at ease that my heart was glowing for hers. "anyways, I knew if I didn't do it now, I wasnt gonna be able to, y'know? Like pulling off a band-aid, or jumping into the ocean."

"you cold Grace?" I asked. I noticed the goosebbumps on her chest.

"yeah. I'm warming up though." Then she asked me, "joe, do me a favorand warm me up?" So I rubbed my hands briskly up and down her upper arms. It was electric, her nude skin. "wait, hug me and do my back." So I did and felt sheer ecstacy. "want me to take your stuff so you can jump up and down a bit and stuff like that?"

"please would you?"

"no prob." I watched her scamper to the side, glistening wet, her breasts bouncing. I watched my friends watch her. Colleen was utterly confused. Chrissy looked almost overjoyed. It was obvious that Jo could appreciate the female form. Our new friends, amanda and sara were shocked, but beaming. "how is she naked now?"

"i don't know," I told them sincerely, "idon't know."

When I looked back towards Chrissy, I saw it----Janie pounced up from behind and pantsed her. In a blue streak, Janie didn't stop and pantsed Jo as well. Jo was perfectly horrified, but paralysed, she didn't move. Her lower body was exposed---now what? After she regained herself, she re-hoisted her pants, ashamed. Chrissy almost immediately went to grab for her pants, but, on second thought, let them stay and just turned to find Janie, who had taken off. The uninhibitted embarassment in Chrissy's eyes was so so gorgeous. She lifted her legs out of her pants with a delicate dignity ----the likes of which I know I will never again see--- took off my jacket and slowly unbuttoned her blouse. My eyes were glued to her.

When I was finally able to move my gaze, I saw Janie, naked and dancing around like a mischievous skinny little elf. Grace, in the midst of all this, ran up to me. "i'm sorry but it's your turn buddy." She quikly unbuckled my belt. And began to pull it down. I wanted to yell out to stop, but couldn't in time, being caught up as I was in the whole experience. I had an erection, as I feared I would come naked time. Would they think I was a pervert or a weirdo?

She pulled my pants down, saw it, yelped, and covered her mouth. I saw Colleen, Chrissy, jo, and Janie come to focus straightaway upon my erect penis. I felt seized in a cold sweat. Then I heard Grace's laugh. Chrissy and Jo then giggled. Grace whispered in my ear, "it's cute, don't worry." I was then totally at ease.

We all turned into a bunch of giggly little kids running around as we were. At the site, the crowd kept growing and growing. We waited and waited, a bunch of kids in our birthday suits. Colleen never did join us. She, arguably the best-looking of the girls, blonde and shapely as a model, had considered it briefly after Jo finally gave into temptation. Chrissy was the one who convinced jo. Chrissy quickly became the most ebullient of the nudes among us, and the most childlike. She would run up to Jo and take her hand to make her grab Chrissy's own meaty buttock. Jo was sour at first but soon couldn't help but laugh. it probably took about an hour but Chrissy eventually made the move and pulled her blouse over her head. She was hardly embarassed when she was finally removed of all covering. Colleen at this point became incredibly embarrassed, as if she were the naked one.

Amongst the huge, ever-groing crowd, we waited. Eventually, the weather began to clear and tunick told everyone to strip. I'm glad we'd done so by ourselves, hours before. The manner in which everyone denuded themselves at once seemed more mechanical. It was very special seeing these individuals strip in such a personal and revealing way.

But what was extraordinary was being amongst so many bare bodies. It was totally extraordinary. People of all sorts. I felt connected to all as a crwod. But not as connected to them as I was now to Chrissy, and to Grace, and to the spritely Janie, and the brave and good jo. These connections were special, special connections.

After the pictures were taken, everyone was feeling wonderful and nude, such that it was hard to get clothed again---to add to which was finding our clothes. Jo's clothes Seemed to take an eternity to find. There were not many naked stragglers left by the time we ultimately came upon jo's clothes, but Chrissy was among them. She was a tough sell in getting clothed again that morning.

We returned to find that Colleen hadn't told anyone about what happened, so we didn't either. Then we found out our friend caroline and her roommate lyndsay had seen us that morning. Chrissy, jo, and I became really close over that week. Two nights that week we skinny-dipped in the hotel pool. And two nights that week we got chased out of the hotel pool. We three have since also randomly disrobed at beaches and have been chased by cops, but have, at some calmly spent hours without anyone making any comments over a whisper (incidently Jo has become a particularly radical nudist). We have also been yelled at and laughed at, and had tons and tons of fun.

I could never have dreamed of a better scenario than the one in which I now find myself. To be able to share this experience with your website might be the only way to top the experience which I now share with my beautiful friends Chrissy and Jo (and to a lesser extent Janie. I've hung out with Grace naked since too, but not nearly as much). Recently I came upon your site, and loved it. I actually called Chrissy up about it and she loves it too. She suggested to me that I write you with our story in hopes that it might make your newsletter, which is jo's favorite part.

Anyway, your site is terrific and gorgeous!! We love it!

Sincerely,

Joe (and Chrissy and Jo)

Something I forgot to mention, as a sort of p.s. To "Melbourne madness" is that Colleen did happily end up showing her "true colors". Despite her reluctance to pose, later in the week, with Grace, her roommates, another male friend of mine, and Jo in her hotel room, she emerged from the shower totally nude, and said, "see i'm not a total wimp." It really showed guts and I was proud of her for it. I just thought I should share that as well, because Colleen is truly a beauty and a lovely person, and did end up showing us such in a physical sense.