Experimental Life Drawing

Attendees were told this would be "experimental life drawing" without further explanation or detail. Every 15 minutes the doors would be opened to allow current artists to leave and new ones to join. We were pleasantly surprised as the room began to fill with more and more artists but nobody decided to leave early.

We began with one model wearing underwear and very fast drawings, 1-2 minutes. The model removed her bra, and another joined her wearing a giant bird head. The time periods were extended, 5, then 10 minute poses. A third model joined them, wearing a green morph suit stripped to the waist, with one of the arms draped over one shoulder.

A playlist curated to escalate throughout the session blasted through the two speakers on either side of the modelling stage. Materials were provided for the artists, paper in various sizes and colours, and a range of coloured pastels, pens, pencils and paints. Some had access to easels, while others drew on the floor.

The Inbody tent space acted as a changing room for the models. Some attendees focused on the physical forms of the models, while others incorporated colour, the room around them and artwork being exhibited. Some took their drawings and sketches home with them, while many chose to leave them to be displayed in the exhibition space.

The event was full of laughter, the models struggling to keep straight faces as 'Gimme Gimme Gimme!' by ABBA thundered through the room, the artists endlessly amused by the bird head and morph suit combo. I would love to organise further non-traditional life drawing workshops in the future.