Daegu! International Body Festival

The blog isn't dead!  It's just moved to Daegu.  After one of the most stressful years we've ever had, I've finally had time to get my camera out and start shooting.   With the move to Daegu, I've also picked up a film camera, and so I'll be sharing some of those photos as well.  The reason I want to re-start my blog is because I just don't know how to share my photos otherwise, but I feel like sharing them.  I looked at Flickr and 500px and shared a few on Instagram, but none of that really works for me.  So, back to the blog.

Daegu's great... I think.  Even though we moved here in January, we've only been here for four months, with the rest of our time split between the States and Europe.  So, what I know about Daegu (which is basically what I read on wikipedia) is great.  A few million people, restaurants with hamburgers and pizza, a couple of great dog parks.  It's perfect for Sara, Ziggy, and I.

Ok, so, what is there to do in Daegu?  One of the biggest events of the year is the Daegu International Body Festival.  People come from all over the world to paint and be painted, to compete, in an art competition focused on bodies and body art.  Korean festivals are always great, and this one was fantastic.  There's always a ton of cheap food, lots of people, and something to point a camera at.  Honestly, this was more a photographer's festival than anything else.  There were people with $10,000 lenses!  

I also want to take a second to commend the models, and the artists.  The models stood for hours, six, eight, ten, while they had their bodies painted and photographed.  That guy down there with the massive camo lens?  He set up camp ten feet from the model and stood photographing her for a good twenty minutes.  This in a place where they arrest people at the beach every year for taking creep shots.  But the body festival?  Line-up and shoot the product.  So, to the models, wow, tons of respect for your ability to stand around, basically nude for hours, while people took ridiculously high res, zoomed in pics of your bodies.  Thank you!

I was of course just as guilty as any when it came to taking pictures, and so below, you'll find a few from the Daegu International Body Festival.  Thanks again to the artists and models who let all of us watch these awesome transformations take place.

I don't know how cool these models are in real life, but they just seemed so cool.  I'm sure they were stressed and nervous, but they didn't show it at all.

Here's a pano from my iPhone of a moment of the madness.  The photographers were hilarious.  They had been sitting in the sun drinking soju all day, and by the time the finished murals came out, they were fighting.  One guy tried to throw a tripod at another guy, and somebody else walked up to one guy and ripped his shirt.  It was great.

A lot of the artists were pretty young, early twenties.  Art students, I think.

If you had $5,000 worth of gear you were a pathetic amateur (me).  If you had $20,000 then you fit right in.

Six, eight, ten hours just didn't seem to phase these models. 

The detail here is incredible.  I can't paint at all, so I can't even imagine what it must be like to paint on a living breathing, moving, person. 

Lots of credit to the artists as well.  Eight hours to create something this beautiful and this detailed doesn't seem like a whole lot of time.  Tons of respect for their amazing work.

The intricacy and attention to detail were so amazing to me.  These paintings were going to live for what, 24 hours, maybe 48 at the most?  And yet, so much detail, so much attention to the little things.   

The models spent most of the time on their phones, which was cool, considering they couldn't really move or talk or do anything else all day.

The finished products were really stunning.  True art.

This is a big festival, with international coverage, but there were parts of it that felt small and local.  When the models were finished being painted, they walked through the crowd to get to the stage.  Despite how impressive the art is, the festival organizers have created an intimate little festival where kids can get up close.

Great festival, and if you're in Daegu during the summer, check it out.  Here's the webpage for more information:  http://www.dibf.co.kr/2014_eng/