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BODY POLITIC

A trio of Seattle artists aim the spotlight at women’s self-image

The most remarkable thing about photographing a room full of nude women, says Seattle photographer Amanda Koster, is the metamorphosis that occurs. The group enters the studio hesitant and reserved, but within hours individuals are jumping on windowsills and shouting out to passersby. "They become so confident and empowered," Koster marvels. "It’s really great to watch."

That spirit is evident in Koster’s images. Nude models of all ages and body types are photographed in groups or alone, in natural light and in color. They grin, laugh, dance, raise a fist and face the camera defiantly. Koster captures the beauty and attitude of each; stripped of clothes, the women’s vitality overrides their body size.

Koster began documenting women’s bodies four years ago. The collection, titled “This Is Beautiful,” was inspired by her interest in presenting an alternative to the unattainably thin body image that’s pervasive in today’s media. Playwright Vanessa McGrady wrote an article about Koster’s work for The Seattle Times in 2001, and after filmmaker Kathlyn Albright read it the two—both locally based—got together and contacted Koster. Strangers at the time, the three artists joined minds and art forms, eventually founding the bodyBODY Project, a multimedia collaboration that uses art to reverse women’s negative self-imagery and explore body-image issues.

Now in its second incarnation (bodyBODY: Aphrodite Raves played at Theater Off Jackson in 2003), bodyBODY’s newest show, titled bodyBODY: You Can’t Tell by Looking, opens with Koster’s nearly life-size photographs of nude women that embellish the lobby of the Empty Space Theatre. An audio track accompanies the images, with the voices of women recollecting how they have perceived their bodies and themselves—from childhood on.

The anchor of the project is McGrady’s very funny three-act play about the intermingling of family dynamics and body issues. Throughout the show, featured clips are screened from What a Body!, a video documentary by filmmaker Albright. As a whole, it’s a spirited and educational event. “We just want people to be aware of the reality,” McGrady says, “while celebrating the beauty of women. Maybe it will inspire them to take action and hopefully to have fun too.” 1/8–2/12. $25. Empty Space Theatre, 3509 Fremont Ave. N; 206.547.7500; bodybodyproject.com Opening gala is 1/8; $25; at Bandoleone, 703 N 34th St.