Sky Arts celebrates becoming a free channel today with a bold first - a socially distanced nude art installation by Spencer Tunick

Two-hundred and twenty members of the public gathered for a socially distanced nude art installation at London’s Alexandra Palace in the first major participatory work of art since lockdown.

Celebrating participation and freedom, the installation by the renowned artist Spencer Tunick, titled Everyone Together, was supported by Sky Arts to mark the channel becoming free for everyone to watch from today.

Sky Arts, the UK’s only channel dedicated to arts and culture, is now available on Freeview and Freesat, supercharging its mission to increase access to and drive participation in the arts at a vital time for the cultural sector.

The artwork, created in the early hours of the morning, saw volunteers strip completely naked apart from white masks to cover their faces. The members of the public stood at least one- metre apart to ensure their safety, adhering to social distancing guidelines. The photographs captured of the artwork reflect the ways the pandemic has forced us to reconsider connectivity and our proximity with strangers.

The installation, which took place on Saturday 12^th September, was organised in compliance with COVID-19 secure guidelines. As well as wearing face masks and observing social distancing throughout the day, the participants were subject to strict safety controls including a pre-screening questionnaire, temperature checks on arrival and being arranged into position in a one-way queue via megaphone.

Spencer Tunick said: “The reality of masses of people close together - shoulder to shoulder, skin touching skin - may be something of the past for now, but still the desire is there for that natural connectivity, perhaps more so now than ever.

“The work is about breaking down barriers. It’s been liberating and life-affirming to be invited by Sky Arts to create Everyone Together, which invites the public to participate, becoming not just a viewer but a collaborator.”

Phil Edgar Jones, Director of Sky Arts, said: “To celebrate Sky Arts becoming free for everyone, we wanted to create a landmark cultural moment that invited participation in a Covid-safe fashion and demonstrated to the wider public that art is at its most essential when it is for - and about - everybody.

“While the pandemic has presented challenges to the cultural sector, we’ve also seen a great deal of innovation in the arts, and thousands of people have created their own artworks or reconnected with their artistic abilities. The sense that the arts is for a self-selecting group of people is disappearing, and that can only be a good thing.

“It’s so important that as many people as possible have access to enriching, diverse and entertaining programming about the arts, which is why we’ve made the decision to make Sky Arts a free channel.”

The launch of the channel includes a bold new slate of original programmes. To mark the launch of the channel several new shows are being announced today, including:

• BOYS
• Offended by Irvine Welsh
• Charles Hazlewood: Beethoven and Me
• The Sky Arts Book Club Live

Alongside these newly announced shows, the programmes launching this autumn on Sky Arts include Sky Arts Late, Danny Dyer on Pinter, The English National Opera’s Drive & Live, No Masks, Brian Johnson meets Dave Grohl, Rankin’s 2020, Portrait Artist of the Year and The South Bank Show. You can view the full Sky Arts press pack here.

Available 24/7, Sky Arts exists to bring art and culture alive for everyone, whatever their passion. . As a free channel we’re going to bring more art to more people, supporting even more artists and organisations at a vital time. With entertaining programmes showcasing the best of classical and popular music, theatre, opera, dance and the visual arts, as well as original drama and comedy, Sky Arts is now available for everyone to view on Freeview Channel 11 and Freesat Channel 147.

Notes to editors

For further information and to receive the assets please contact skyarts@hopeandglorypr.com

Censored images are available.

Social tags: @SkyTV #SkyArts #SpencerTunick

The Everyone Together installation was not a spontaneous or surprise gathering, and was conducted under rigorous health and safety protocols with the full knowledge and support of Alexandra Palace.

Participants were at a minimum one metre distance at all times and wearing masks as per Government guidelines. The perspective of the imagery, and the topography of the landscape can make it appear in some areas that the participants were not at 1m distance, but that was not the case.

A Covid Officer was on site at all times who oversaw the installation and moved people where necessary. This was in addition to the Covid secure measures we took across the installation.

*Businesses and venues following COVID-19 Secure guidelines can host larger groups provided they comply with the law. In the current government guidelines on performing arts, there are no set limits on the numbers who can be involved in planned non-professional activity taking place outside and/or in a Covid-secure venue. Organisations must ensure an appropriate COVID-19 risk assessment is carried out and that the individuals involved are able to be socially distanced at all times – as was the case with this installation.

Further details on programmes launching this autumn on Sky Arts:

• BOYS: Ashley Walters makes his directorial debut in a short film written by newcomer Jerome Holder. Set in East London, two best friends fulfil a promise made to one’s older brother, embarking on a journey that will shape them and the men they will become.
  
• Offended by Irvine Welsh: Irvine Welsh explores the nature of offence and its impact. Does the fear of offence and cancel culture affect artists creative risk taking? He sets out to reclaim the right to offend – but not abuse – as an essential tool for artists.
• Sky Arts Book Club Live: A glass of wine, a few tasty morsels, and a good read. Sky Arts recreates all the joys of a book club as hosts Andi Oliver and Elizabeth Day invite four members of an existing club to chat about new releases, favourite classics and hear directly from different guest authors each episode. The show will air live on Sky Arts and the @SkyTV Facebook page giving people at home the unique opportunity to be part of the club.
• Charles Hazlewood: Beethoven and Me, marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig Van Beethoven, Charles Hazlewood explores the life of the great composer, taking a personal and unique perspective on this troubled genius and a detailed look at his famous 5th symphony masterpiece.
• Sky Arts Late, a new late-night, feature-length monthly arts and culture show, with Tim Marlow hosting alongside a cast of leading and new voices from across the arts.
• Danny Dyer on Pinter, Pinter cast Dyer in several of his plays, including No Man’s Land and The Homecoming. Now, twelve years after Pinter’s death, Danny takes a look back at his mentor’s work and the profound influence he had on his life.
• English National Opera’s Drive & Live, in partnership with the ENO, Sky Arts will broadcast the ENO’s much-anticipated return to live performance with a drive-in, super-sized, and socially-distanced production of La Bohème.
• No Masks, in partnership with Theatre Royal Stratford East and their artistic director Nadia Fall, Sky Arts and Moonshine Features will present a new work based on the real-life experiences and testimonies of key workers from East London
• Brian Johnson meets Dave Grohl, in an exclusive special recorded at the Foo Fighters’ LA studio, the AC/DC frontman hangs out with the (other) nicest man in rock.
• Rankin’s 2020, acclaimed photographer Rankin is inviting everyone with a smartphone or camera to join him in a mass-participation photography project to document 2020 – a year like no other – to find the best amateur and professional photographers
• Portrait Artist of the Year will return for a seventh series, with 24 celebrity sitters from the worlds of stage, screen, sport and music become the subject for our painters which include Normal People’s Paul Mescal, First Dates front-of-house Fred Sirieux, singer Ray BLK and Sir Trevor McDonald.
• The South Bank Show A host of the arts’ leading figures discuss their work, influences and inspirations in a collection of eye-opening exclusive interviews with Melvyn Bragg. New interviewees will include Bernardine Evaristo, Benjamin Zephaniah, Gillian Anderson and Simon Armitage.
• BOYS: Ashley Walters makes his directorial debut in a short film written by newcomer Jerome Holder. Set in East London, two best friends fulfil a promise made to one of their older brother’s, embarking on a journey that will shape them and the men they will become.

About Sky

With 24 million customers across seven countries, Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Our 32,000 employees help connect our customers to the very best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own local, original content.

Following the success of Sky originals like Chernobyl, we plan to double our investment in original content by 2024. We’re also developing a new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which is expected to lead to the creation of over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in UK creative sector in the first five years alone.

Our technology allows customers to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, and as we connect millions of families to content they love, we believe it is our responsibility to do it safely. That’s why we offer services like Sky Broadband Buddy and the Sky Kids app. And our online streaming service, NOW TV, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service.

We also believe that a company of our scale has a responsibility that goes beyond our business, and into the community. We recently announced a series of commitments to help tackle racial injustice and improve diversity and inclusion. To ensure the commitments are delivered, Sky will invest £10million per year across its markets for each of the next three years. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 – two decades before we have to – and we’re an inclusive employer recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity.

About Spencer Tunick

Spencer is a renowned artist and photographer who has created more than 100 installations around the world. Spencer has been documenting the live nude figure in public, with photography and video, since 1992. Since 1994, he has organised installations that encompass dozens, hundreds or thousands of volunteers, and his photographs are records of these events.

His temporary site-specific installations have been commissioned by the Institut Cultura, Barcelona, The Saatchi Gallery, MOCA Cleveland, Vienna Kunsthalle and MAMBO Museum of Modern Art, Bogota, among others.

Further information can be found at https://www.spencertunick.com/

Spencer’s Instagram can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/spencertunick/

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IMAGE CAPTIONS:

Imagery by Spencer Tunick

LONDON: Everyone Together, by Spencer Tunick for Sky Arts. A socially distanced artwork created to mark the channel becoming free from 17^th September. Two-hundred and twenty people posed nude apart from white face masks at London’s Alexandra Palace in the first major participatory work of art since lockdown. Spencer Tunick said: “The work is about breaking down barriers. It’s been liberating and life-affirming to be invited by Sky Arts to create Everyone Together, which invites the public to participate, becoming not just a viewer but a collaborator.” (Installation photograph by Spencer Tunick)

Documentary Photography

LONDON: Everyone Together, by Spencer Tunick for Sky Arts. A socially distanced artwork created to mark the channel becoming free from 17^th September. Two-hundred and twenty people posed nude apart from white face masks at London’s Alexandra Palace in the first major participatory work of art since lockdown. Spencer Tunick said: “The work is about breaking down barriers. It’s been liberating and life-affirming to be invited by Sky Arts to create Everyone Together, which invites the public to participate, becoming not just a viewer but a collaborator.” (Photograph by Sky Arts)

IMAGE USAGE RIGHTS:

Image Usage Rights for the 4 Spencer Tunick photographs supplied in the press docket: News

The artist Spencer Tunick must be credited for the images with title of work (which is included along with the images). The image can only be used for news purposes related to the promotion of the Everyone Together Spencer Tunick and Sky Arts installation from 17^th September until 31^st October. The image cannot be used for commercial purposes including but not limited to advertising, merchandise and display. No close up shots can be reproduced of individuals involved in the installation.

Image Usage Rights for Spencer Tunick’s Installation: Social Media

The artist Spencer Tunick must be credited in the text of the post with @spencertunick and tagged in the photo or video with @spencertunick. The image can only be used for news purposes related to the promotion of the Everyone Together Spencer Tunick and Sky Arts installation and cannot be used for commercial purposes including but not limited to advertising, merchandise and display. No close up shots can be reproduced of individuals involved in the installation. The artist retains the rights to ask for social media posts to be removed after a three-month period from 17^th September 2020.

Image Usage Rights for Spencer Tunick’s Installation: Documentary Photography supplied by Sky Arts

The artist must be credited for the images as Documentary photography of Spencer Tunick installation courtesy of the artist. The image can only be used for news purposes related to the promotion of the Everyone Together Spencer Tunick and Sky Arts installation from 17^th September until 31^st October. The image cannot be used for commercial purposes including but not limited to advertising, merchandise and display. No close up shots can be reproduced of individuals involved in the installation.

Image Usage Rights for Spencer Tunick’s Installation: Video Footage

The artist must be credited for the footage. The footage can only be used for news purposes related to the promotion of the Everyone Together Spencer Tunick and Sky Arts installation news purposes related to the promotion of the Everyone Together Spencer Tunick and Sky Arts installation from 17^th September for one week. The image cannot be used for commercial purposes including but not limited to advertising, merchandise and display. No close up shots can be reproduced of individuals involved in the installation.