Detroit Nude is exactly what it sounds like it is, a photography project involving nudes in both public and private spaces around the city of Detroit.
Being nude is liberating. There is something basic and simple about being stripped bare. Having nothing between you and the outside world. You can hide nothing and all is seen. You stand before the world, hands on hips and stare it down. As if saying “Fuck you!”. This is Detroit. Those that love the city have that same attitude.
However, along with that liberation is something else. With nothing to protect you from the elements, or ridicule, being nude can be scary. Being nude is a fragile state. Stripped bare of the armor that you choose to clothe yourself in, you are now exposed, for all to see. This is also the city. Battling external forces, like the public perception both home and abroad, that think of it only as a desolate, dangerous place. And internal forces such as the delicate balance of artists and working people, new residents mixed with families who have been here for generations, between change and tradition and that balance leaves everyone a little bit vulnerable.
