In a bid to bring a touch of sunshine to the cold residents of Melbourne, artist Julie Tattam showcased her body painting talents as part of Noosa tourism’s winter marketing campaign.
The ‘You could be here’ campaign was launched in Melbourne’s busy Federation Square with a host of activities, aimed at encouraging people to visit Noosa during the winter months.
In Melbourne’s coldest recorded temperatures since 1965, Tattam fascinated the crowds, body painting her two models in their underwear. The models stood outside while being blended into a huge billboard representing Laguana Bay in Noosa.
“The reactions varied as people wandered past and did a double take when they realised the models were not part of the wall but in fact a live human being,” said Tattam. “Some people shrieked, some stared with mouths agape, and the most common phrase we heard was, ‘aren’t you cold?’ But our ever-smiling and positive models soldiered through it, enjoying the process almost as much as the onlookers. In fact, many eager crowd members grabbed a coffee and sat in Federation Square for hours, watching the models slowly ‘disappear’ into the billboard background.
It wasn’t long before the event attracted major TV and social media coverage for Noosa tourism and October’s Australian body art festival.
“We were approached by Melbournites and tourists from all over the world including the US, Canada, China, Chile and the UK, asking for information about the new Australian Body Art Festival in Eumundi in October, so fascinated were they in the craft,” said Tattum.
Julie is part of the guest line up at the Australian body art festival taking place at the arts hub Eumundi from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October.
