Erotica By Helen E. H. Madden

Sunday, June 3, 2007

In The Art World - 2,000 Gather for Nude Shoot in Amsterdam

I've heard about events like this before - 2,000 Gather for Nude Shoot in Amsterdam - and as always it makes me consider why people do what they do. It's not just the public nudity that I wonder about, but the reasons why people do anything risky or risque in a public setting. Why take off all your clothing to be photographed for display? Why have sex outdoors at a local picnic ground? Why write a dirty story and publish it in a national magazine? Why have sleep with a stranger and tell all your friends?

Is it the thrill of possibly be caught, or as in this case, the thrill of definitely being caught (on film in Amsterdam no less)? Is it the adrenaline rush that comes from getting away with being bad, or is it the bragging rights that come with getting away with being bad? Do people do these things because they're bored? Do they do it because of peer pressure? Do they do it to set themselves apart from the crowd?

Franz Kafka wrote a story called "The Hunger Artist" in which a man starves himself as an art form. One of the major themes of the story was the artist's relationship to his audience. The artist starves himself to entertain others, but also to validate who he is. I'm offering a very simplistic explanation of the theme here, and if you want a more in-depth look there's plenty of discussion to be found on the web and in the library. But I wonder if that simplistic theme applies to my questions here and now. Why do people engage in risky public behavior? To entertain others and validate themselves? It's an answer I'll buy.

Labels: In The Art World, Public Nudity

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