A Melbourne commerce-law student is hoping his family and girlfriend don't turn on the TV to see him among the hundreds of naked people who braved the cold to pose for US artist Spencer Tunick.
Roshane Wickramathilake, who has competed in nude Olympics at his university, said posing for New York-based photographer Tunick was "a once in a lifetime " opportunity.
"There is a lot of body dysmorphia. A lot of people don't feel comfortable in their bodies and it's a good way to say 'you should feel comfortable in your own skin' and 'everyone is beautiful'," he told reporters after the shoot.
The chilly morning didn't stop people baring all for the artist. Source: AAP
Mr Wickramathilake hoped with his sister at work, parents overseas and girlfriend sitting an exam they wouldn't see him in the buff.
"I think all the important people involved are away from the TV so I hope it stays that way," he joked.
About 350 models gasped and squealed as they laid naked on the cold concrete of the Woolworths car park at Prahran wrapped in a sheer red shroud as part of a mass nude shoot on Monday morning with the temperature hovering around 10 degrees.
It's Spencer Tunick's 125th mass nude installation.
The controversial artist, who’s staged photoshoots in 25 countries and been arrested five times, returns to Melbourne 17-years after his first installation in the city.
He said he loved the Chapel Street location for his latest work, 'Return of the Nude.'
“This piece is called Melbourne Spirits and it’s about a provocative spirit, someone who not only has a history of going beyond their limits but also touches upon a different world, aftermath and also the past.”
Owners of the rooftop carpark where the shoot took place, Woolworths, initially refused to let the artist use the space with concerns it would inconvenience customers.
The supermarket giant eventually relented to public pressure, on the condition the shoot would take place Monday morning instead of the weekend.
But today it was the cold, Tunick was more concerned with.
“I worked quickly in order to keep them from freezing, and I think I got some beautiful art works,” he said.
Belle Harvey, who previously was a life model, said it was a very respectful shoot and it was "lovely to be connecting with people in a different way".
"No mucking around, quick, to the point. It was good fun," she told reporters about the 15-minute shoot.
"It is a celebration of who we are. We are all different but we are all just people being."
Spencer Tunick will photograph a total of 1000 naked Melburnians. Source: AAP
Up to 500 participants are expected to brave wintry conditions for three shoots in the city on Monday with another two on Greville St and at the Bromley Ballroom.
The installations are part of the Provocare Festival in Melbourne's Chapel Street precinct.
