nude public art performance of wagner's 'the ring' opens munich opera festival

‘the ring’ by spencer tunick, 2012
image courtesy bayerische staatsoper

american installation artist and photographer spencer tunick has developed a nude live sculptural work captured for the start of munich, germany’s 2012 opera season. more than 135 years after opera festival bayerische staatsoper‘s inaugural season, tunick has gathered 1,700 individuals to celebrate this musical medium in their joining as a singular organic shape or landscape in the very public square. for ‘the ring’, which was commissioned by the bavarian state opera, was organized and photographed in max-joseph platz, munich as naked volunteers were painted in either red or gold and guided into formations recalling poignant scenes from richard wagner’s operettic masterpiece, ‘der ring des nibelungen’.

images courtesy bayerische staatsoper

images courtesy bayerische staatsoper

images courtesy bayerische staatsoper

images courtesy bayerische staatsoper

images © dapdvia merkur

images courtesy bayerische staatsoper

detailed perspectives picturing the rallying and directing of the crowd to lie down in formation around the square
images © dapd via merkur

the massive group of naked participants are guided by tunick’s team into seven alternating stripes in red and gold
images © dapd (right bottom © wilfried hösl) via merkur

images courtesy bayerische staatsoper