The city of Biel is officially allowing its citizens to strip off in broad daylight this summer, all in the name of art for the world’s first official naked public performance event.
The Body and Freedom Festival is to debut on the picturesque streets of Biel this month with the aim to getting art's fleshy side out of the gallery and into the public.
Katharina Vogel is one of the performers exhibiting in the festival
As well as the festival featuring projects from 18 nude-loving international artists, members of the public can also contribute their own nakedness to the performance - as long as it's purchased through the organisers.
Prices vary for each performance, it'll cost you CHF 111.55 to sit naked and people watch the high street's passerby; or a meaty CHF 280 to attend a “naked lunch” that will have a series of “creative activities” for you to work on.
It is hoped that the tickets will help to further fund the festival, which has also received sponsorship from the city's culture office.
The flesh-loving brains behind the festival is Biel's local artist Thomas Zollinger, who has sought to overcoming the taboos and connect both the performers and the public with their more unadorned form.
Thomas Zollinger previous performances has attracted more than just public interest ©bodyandfreedom.com
“Anything that is to be seen in theaters or art spaces is now also possible to be shown or performed in urban space with the exception of the naked body, which appears to remain taboo,” Zollinger said.
“The Body and Freedom Festival intends to initiate a change,” he continued. “It aims to explore the possibilities of the naked body in urban space and everyday situational life, thereby contributing to its establishment in this context as an instrument of art expression.”
The Body and Freedom Festival is on Aug 21-22 throughout Biel, click here for more information on upcoming performances.