Tales from the office - the adventures of Papa Smurf

@boiboing (13153)
Northampton, England
July 13, 2016 7:50am CST
At lunch today I found out why one of the women has been calling one of our dining companions 'Papa Smurf'. It turns out that he - a normally rather shy and self-efacing chap - had been to Hull at the weekend to take part in an event that's part of the preparations for the 'City of Culture' events next year. Basically, he stripped naked and painted himself blue. Yes, you read that correctly. He, his wife and thousands of other volunteers, removed their clothes and painted their naked bodies with one of four shades of blue body paint and then got photographed lying around the streets. He said that he spent a lot of time trying not to look anywhere that he shouldn't and hoping that it wouldn't rain and wash off his paint. Apparently the paint DIDN'T wash off quite as easily as he'd hoped and he came to work on Monday looking a bit like an extra from Avatar - hence the new nickname, Papa Smurf. In total more than 3000 volunteers took part in photographer Spencer Tunick's 'event' which was named 'Sea of Hull'. The photos will not be seen until next year during the City of Culture celebrations.
More than 3,000 people strip naked in Hull and are painted blue for a Spencer Tunick photo shoot to mark the City of Culture festival.
16 people like this
10 responses
koopharper
@koopharper (7477)
• Canada
13 Jul 16
Reminds me of a line from Monty Python "And now for something completely different". I found the whole thing amusing but in all honesty the photos in the article were quite striking.
2 people like this
Boingboing
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
13 Jul 16
Well we have enough posts about what we ate and how we put out the laundry.
1 person likes this
koopharper
@koopharper (7477)
• Canada
13 Jul 16
@boiboing I hear you there. I try not to make those kind of posts myself.
Anna
@LadyDuck (458230)
• Switzerland
13 Jul 16
I have read about this new performance of this New York-based artist. I remember he created many other humans painted installations in the past. It must be funny to see someone looking like a smurf.
2 people like this
celticeagle
@celticeagle (159105)
• Boise, Idaho
14 Jul 16
How funny.
Jekca
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
13 Jul 16
I read about that, I admit I was both amused, and impressed, I mean I wouldn't have the guts to participate!
Fiacre Banks
@xFiacre (12597)
• Ireland
14 Jul 16
@boiboing And he actually owned up to running around Hull in the nip with his bits painted blue?
Fiacre Banks
@xFiacre (12597)
• Ireland
14 Jul 16
@boiboing so he was blue-b*lled by his wife.
1 person likes this
Boingboing
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
14 Jul 16
Indeed he did but he kept telling everybody that it was his wife's idea.
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325839)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Jul 16
It's always the unlikely people that seem to do these things. I couldn't do that in a million years.
1 person likes this
Boingboing
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
13 Jul 16
It takes a very different type of confidence.
1 person likes this
James Higgins
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
13 Jul 16
How delightful! It sounds like something from the 1960s.
Elizabeth
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
13 Jul 16
Awww, good for him! I don't think I'd be able to do it myself so I admire anyone who can. :)
Valerie J. Routhieaux
@just4him (306386)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
13 Jul 16
That's quite a sea of blue. I can see it was a well earned nickname.
fishtiger58
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
13 Jul 16
Well that is quite unusual, no way would I do that lol.