Nude Window

# 12 Ms. Mouse, Drawbridge, CA

2008-05-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Mouse and I have worked together several times and I knew she was just the adventurous soul to hike out with me at dawn to Drawbridge, CA.

I used to sit in windows. Stare through the glass. The cars would pass, and people would walk by without notice. It was my calm. My escape from my reality.
You have to wonder about them sometimes, where they are coming and going. How they got to where they are now.

Its like watching television. Others living their lives, silently bordering my own out of reach. Life riving by in a Sunbird, or a Taurus. Purring like a tiger on the motorcycle. Opportunities toll away on a skateboard, in a stroller. You might develop a familiarity with a stranger as he boxes while jogging, practicing for the ring. The stop light in command of the woman in the suit, hurrying out of the cafe with her briefcase.
From outside the window, the wind graces my skin and my hair, sending shivers through my tine body. The smell of the grass, or the car exhaust, or maybe the coffee house fill my nose. The whole world is a new sensation. I am free. Uncaged. Driven. As if I were a feral beast, cloaked and caged, now wild again.

What was I missing, hiding behind the glass all those years, peering out at the world from within in my anonymous shelter? Where will I go now, when there is only myself and momentum? What will become of me when there is no window to hide behind?
Willing you be looking from your window, wondering about me? Or will I cross your path along my way?

#11 Moon in Big Bend TX

2008-04-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the windows are gone by the time we get to them... So we pick up the pieces and put them where they belong...

This window was built in 1875.

Moon is an art model traveling with me and some other artists on a trip we found this window and used it.
Here is her story:
The window was older than I am, an impression of what it once was, warn and mysterious. I'm a dancer, playing model who ran around the dessert with a cackling band of photographers and two other beautiful models stripping and posing, posing and reposing and dressing and undressing. The landscapes were so expansive and regal--insides of canyons, cliffs of large rocks, rivers, and wild plants--that I wondered how little old me could possible relevant within such a context. I left that to the photographers. I held the window together with the sun warming me, and felt powerful that I could reunite the worn wood slats with their previous purpose, if only for a moment, before the returned to the ground to finish their decomposition back into earth. Back to earth, thanks, Carle, for having me in this series!

Ferndale, CA Hobart Galleries Art Exhibit Sat. March 22, 12:00 pm

2008-02-22T09:30:00.001-08:00

Ferndale, CA Hobart Galleries Art Exhibit Sat. March 22, 12:00 pm

I will be At Hobart Galleries Sat. March 22, 12:00 pm and I am inviting you to join me. My modeling work (as Iona Lynn) has been shown in many local San Francisco galleries; this is my first actual gallery show as a photographer.

Ferndale, CA: Seven international photographers will be featured in "Out of the Box" an invitational exhibit which runs concurrently with "Small Works in a Small Town," Hobart Galleries first open call show since the death of its founder, local celebrity and founder of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, Hobart Brown. Hobart Galleries is pleased to introduce seven talented national and international photographers and artists to Humboldt County.

www.hobartgalleries.com
393 Main Street
Ferndale, CA 95536
707-786-9259

Thank you so much,
Mariah Carle
www.carlephotography.com

2008-01-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

# 10 Athos and Squirrel

2008-01-28T16:49:00.000-08:00

About six years ago a group of dancers decided to take
it upon themselves to do some matchmaking. So before
we begin this story we must thank Pixie, Anthony,
Teddy and various deities for their efforts to bring
us together.So we were introduced and encouraged. Athos learned
to dance both Irish and ballroom. Squirrel learned to
back lead a less experienced dancer and our friends
learned to gloat at their success. We do not know if
the deities were or are still gloating.

The gods are brought into this because while it was
our friends that introduced us it was higher powers
that conspired to move things forward. We are
relatively certain that they were responsible for the
dot com crash, that lead to Squirrel needing a place to
live. Athos, rather than see her move away, invited
her to move in with him.
This is a step that we would probably not have made on
our own. Not because of any lack of love but rather
because of a general but principled fear of commitment
on both our parts. Yes, we were both rather
relationship phobic.
So we moved in together and a year later Athos
proposed marriage and Squirrel said that she would need
to think about it. Roughly a year after that Squirrel
said yes.
Having survived the planning of a wedding, and an
eight month remodel of our house we decided to make a
real commitment, a commitment that would turn us from
a couple into a family. About six months ago the
results were positive and we realized that were going
to be parents.

Today you see us as we are.

Gallery Showing Sun, Febuary 3rd, Hobart Galleries, Ferndale CA

2008-01-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

Hobart Galleries
393 Main Street
Ferndale CA 95536
(707) 786-9259

Hobart Galleries is open 365 days of the year except for brief emergencies, which are posted, and can be opened for viewing at any reasonable hour by calling 707-407-6660. There is no charge to enter the gallery and many interesting pieces of memorabilia are on sale in the "kinetic room" towards the rear of the first floor in addition to the incredible display of art and kinetic machines including the Pentacycle and the Police Car. Hobart Galleries will continue to be, as it always has been, a sponsor of the Grand Championship Kinetic Sculpture Race, which will celebrate its 40th running in 2008.

Hobart Galleries

# 9 HD Charles

2008-01-21T15:26:00.000-08:00

I am a private person and prefer hiding behind something. The flip side of that is that as a writer I'm not allowed to keep secrets from the readers. And here I am now, unable to hide behind 14 layers of clothes or a lens. This is not new to me, it is not old. It just is.

Even now, just telling this story, I am still hidden and not. It is a defense mechanism.

-------------------------

power is a pink skinned
thing, in the hands of men
like red sportscars and little
dicks. and two minutes later
its over. scratch that, not pink
sports fishing and shooting universe
eyed animals with rocket launchers.
You know, man shit. This is power,
when Viacom is god's 10
commandments every 10 minutes
and the top 10 is your new Bible.

can't
love
hate

or
memories

a kiss

a hug

big business power hungry for
your life, anonymous. chew you
up, squeeze you out its dirty,
ass with a plop.

Gallery Showing Wed Jan 16th SF, CA

2008-01-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

www.nudewindow.com
Is going to have a gallery showing at BaGG
Wed Jan 16th 10:00 pm – 2:30 am
Glass Kat
520 4th Street @ Bryant
San Francisco, CA

Hosted by BaGG:
SF’s longest running S & M dance club
Play space
2 bars
Dance floor
Go -Go dancers

#8 Tall Tim

2007-12-31T17:04:00.000-08:00

I am 6'10" tall and have always gotten a lot of attention because of it. I get all the jokes and comments (It probably doesn't help that I work retail) but it never really bothers me it is just a part of who I am. I am also a nudist, I love the freedom of being naked. Being naked is a great equalizer, for all of our differences we are all remarkably alike without our clothes to hide behind. I have found that everybody, and every body, is beautiful if you look at it in the right way. I want to be a part of this project to show the world that there is nothing to be ashamed about being naked. I find it disturbing that showing violence on TV is much better accepted and more common the showing a naked body. I am afraid of what this teaches children, It seems to me we are saying "Be ashamed of your body, but violence is OK".
So this is a small window into who I am and what I think and why projects like this are so important...at least to me.

Thanks,
Tim

#7 Pixie in Berkeley

2007-12-18T11:35:00.000-08:00

I’ve always liked being seen. And I’ve always liked being naked.
I suppose it was inevitable that at some point, these two ideas would come together and start talking… and they did. I was 22 I think, when I decided to answer a want ad for topless dancers. I was hired on the spot and immersed myself in it with no shame or reservations… I loved it. From that seedy little tittie-bar in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, to the polished high-end strip club I ended up dancing at, I reveled in it. Being on stage naked was always electric for me, and at the same time completely grounding. There was an amazing sense of the spiritual, of erotic dance as Worship and as Art… It was exciting and exhausting and fun!

I love inviting the sensual and the sexual into the everyday mundane… and sometimes vice versa. And to me, a nude body is all of those things at once: sensual, sexual and yet so very mundane… the basic essence of each of us, as we are… no frills attached. My body has changed after 20 years… but my desire to share it and show it off hasn’t; I guess I’m still the exhibitionist I used to be. It took getting used to at first; the shifts in weight, the change in skin texture, the signs of bearing two amazing children… and yet, that’s all part of who I am and what my life has been! So I learned to carry it proudly and with joy. I still dance naked sometimes at private events, I model corsets, perform at alternative venues with my band… I go to private clubs where the dress code requires fetish wear or nudity… it’s all about seeing and being seen; sharing and being shared; experiencing the Body, the Self, as Art.I love the concept of “100 Nude Windows”! I would love to see 200… 500… 1000… as many as there are people to fill the frames! If there is one thing I want to share with people, with everyone I meet or can reach, it’s to take Joy in yourself… to Love Who and What you are, to bring it out into the open and not hide it… to be naked in a window, literally or figuratively… and to revel in it!

#6 Stephanie, looking in

2007-11-28T16:49:00.000-08:00

The story behind my window is I thought the nude project was a very neat way to have others view yourself. I have often wondered why everybody looks out their windows is everything you have and want to be outside that window? Not for me; everything I want is on the inside!
I look inside and I see warmth, comfort, and security. The best thing of all my family which is the most important to me! That's why I think the best view from a window is on the outside looking in!

Steph

#5 Nemi in the Shower

2007-11-05T12:16:00.001-08:00

This had to be my fastest shoot ever.
Nemi talked to me about shooting the nude window project and she said she had this great window that was located in her shower of all strange places. Her family actually had to add frosting to the glass after they moved in to the house.

I want to know; what contractor puts a huge 4 x 3 foot window at ass level in a shower? So we had our window now we just had to get the shoot shot as fast as well could before we got caught in the uber special master shower/bedroom the entire shoot took 11 min and was 65 shots total…

Honestly it took longer to shoot this silly panda in the shower playing with the suds then it has taken me to type of the whole story

I Sold a print!

2007-11-05T11:16:00.001-08:00

This beautiful image of Theda in NJ... Was bought by another artist while I was away in Sequoia on a week long shooting trip...
Image was about 11 x 17 printed on 13 x 19 100% cotton rag paper using acrhival inks.

#4 Tommy the Tattoo Artist

2007-10-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Tommy who accepted this project having no clue what he was getting into…
One thing I have learned: if you do NOT have a plan nothing can go according to your plan..
My instructions were very simple..
“Sit in the window and do something”
“what?”
“I dunno, something related to what you do…to your story of being a tattoo artist, & Don’t forget to get me my story soon so I am not behind on this project”
“ok what do you want me to do again?”
“I don’t care, anything!”

Tommy decides this is a good time to inventory his old inks and toss those that are dried out an those that are past expiration or too old or whatever…
See that ink bottle that is bright green in the background?
That one was NOT dried out in fact it made a huge mess all over everything including his jeans and my light reflector.

So the shoot moves to another window next to the shower where Tommy attempts to scrub off all the green ink.

We go to the third window of the day and find I let Tommy perform more mundane tasks like texting friends a quick 1 hour shoot took over 2 hours of clean up it was nap time…

Tommy's version of his story is this...

"The more i am in front of the camera the more respect i have for nude models..
I am so much more comfortable being the man behind the lens.. never being seen.. showing what i want my viewer to see in stead of being center stage.

Most of the time im up for anything so when M. Carle asked me to be part of her project of course i agreed! Although i have no idea how to pose.. or to model.. i tried my best to forget that i was being photographed and the fact that i felt a little self conscious..

At first i felt awkward and lame.. but as soon as i started tripping over myself, playing with needles, and spilling ink all over i forgot all about being photographed! It became a panicked race to clean the ink up off my clothes, roommates belongings and carpet.. haha.. so fun.

All the time M. Carle was laughing at my feeble attempt at washing this tattoo ink off of myself and everything else!

All in all it was a fun shoot and its always a pleasure hanging out with M. Carle! "

#3 Theda in New Jersey

2007-10-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

Since I started shooting nudes in windows before I was having the subjects tell their stories.
Not every subject has a story that they wished to submit in the first few shoots.
But here is the story of how this shoot went down as told by me your host.
Theda is a very well known very accomplished art nude model in NY,

I had traveled to NY to visit and wanted to shoot her in a window in the huge studio where I was staying at.Shooting in these old windows with rotting sills and rusted iron bars proved to be a bit of a challenge.

In the last image I pointed to the window and asked to climb on up…
She looked at me & with caustic wit let me know that art models do not just fly into window sills…
I was not about to be upstaged so I climbed into the window myself with no aid…
I then hopped down and found a ladder for her to use to ascend into her window.

#2 Danny a Photographer in London

2007-10-05T12:44:00.001-07:00

Photography is the ultimate voyeur - even with posed portraiture, the camera is still trying to look inside your soul. It strips people bare, takes them out of time to create a frozen time capsule that will endure, unchanging, for probably longer than the lifetime of the subject.

As such, the job of a photographer strips away the ephemera surrounding a person and so the nude window project is, to me, a metaphor of the profession. Everything unnecessary to my line of work has been stripped away, literally, to leave just me, my camera and a window of opportunity.

Which, suitably, is exactly what a photograph wants to be, an empathic window into someone else's world.

#1 Candy In The Kitchen

2007-09-22T15:58:00.001-07:00

#1 Candy In The Kitchen

I'd never shot with a female photographer before my shoot with Mariah. It's embarrassing to admit this: I've worked with literally dozens of photographers over the course of my career so far, and I adorn myself with the label of feminist, to boot. She picked me up at the hostel where I was staying in the Tenderloin sporting a buzz-cut short haircut died purple and a male friend in the front seat of her car. After Mexican food (Mariah walked barefoot in the San Francisco street to and from the restaurant), we headed over to shoot in the vines of her friend's kitchen.

We first took some photos in one of the roommates' bed- he had heard rumors of nude models and photographers, and was currently cursing himself for, yet again, missing out on meeting the woman who took the pictures of the naked girls. Seeing that she'd not only shown up at the shared apartment again, but shot a nude model in his bed would drive him crazy; the plan came naturally to Mariah and me. We finished the quick shoot, and moved on.

In the kitchen the light came through the windows. I tried to avoid the shadows and frame myself among morning glories.
--
Candy Poses; OMP#211518, MM#62156

Frequently Asked Questions

2007-09-22T15:50:00.001-07:00

Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How many portraits will you shoot?
100 that is it; 100 windows, 100 stories
2. Do you photograph men?
Of course, I photograph men and women both, neither, anyone who wants to tell their story.
3. Does the subject have to use their own window?
You may use any window you can get daylight access to with me and my camera & be nude without getting us arrested.
4. Does the subject have to tell a story?
Yes, that is the whole point 100 windows, 100 stories.
5. Does the subject have to be nude?
Yes, the project is called nude window.
6. How long with this whole project take?
About 1 year to shoot if I shoot two people a week & two years for the entire blog to finish.
7. Do you have to use people’s real names?
Nope you may make up a name of just use anon.
8. How long does the sitting take?
Sittings take about one hour.
9. How long does the whole project take for each story?
About 10 hours for each story.
10. How long until subjects receive their prints?
About 3 weeks from the time of the shoot.
11. How much do the prints cost if someone wants to buy them?
These are limited edition prints; they sell from 100.00 and up
12. How much is shipping and handling and Taxes?
Shipping handling and tax is already figured in the price
13. How much does it cost for a sitting?
One hour of your time, one signature, a tiny piece of your soul.
14. What do your subjects get in return?
Subjects get number 1/12 of the limited edition prints that will be made from your story; the chance to be immortalized in art.
15. How do I tell you MY story?
Send me an email at Mariah@nudewindow.com
16. Can I hire you for other kinds of photographic work?
Yes, just send me an email.

Calendar

2007-09-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

This page is to showcase past present and future gallery showings, art sales, travel schedule and fun stuff like that.

Every Week or so www.nudewindow.com will be updated with a new story & image.

Inspirations

2007-09-22T15:36:00.001-07:00

This page is dedicated to those many people who have inspired this project.
Those who:
Made me pick up my camera in the first place
Have supported my winding road of past inspirations throughout all of my artistic projects
Proved to me a person can be successful with a single minded vision
Told me I was ready
Told me I still am not ready
Continues to teach me something new every time I see him
Had the first window & likes my stories
Was the first model & story
Pushed me over the edge & let me see the 100 windows, 100 stories as an entire concept
Didn’t start until he was 30
Taught me people remember what you do not what you teach
Listens to me when I ramble on & on & on &on
There are many many others if I listed them all I wouldn’t have time to shoot.
Thank you all, Mariah Carle

Even more questions

2007-09-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

Since the start of this project I have gotten a few more emails with questions.
I will try to keep up and answer them here.

1.Is your project for pretty people only?
No, this project is for stories of all sorts not just pretty people stories I try to find the beauty in every story/person/situation.

2.Will you be publishing a book?
Yes, I hope to publish a book of each of the 100 stories, but I have to finish shooting them all first this will take a year or two.

Buy Prints Here

2007-09-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

Coming very soon....

About the Artist

2007-09-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

Artist Statement:
www.nudewindow.com is a photographic depiction of 100 people in their own environment telling a short story that pertains to their own lives. No clothing is worn to disguise who they are, No shades or curtains are drawn to hide them from the world. 100 windows, 100 stories.
Mariah Carle

Biography:
Mariah Carle, is a 31 year old photographer who resides in the Bay Area of California. Originally a model, she has spent the past three years as the woman behind the camera. Her experience as a model has enabled her to take pictures that have appeared in multiple gallery shows, and have gained her work with both commercial and portrait clients.

This photographer uses a digital & film 35mm, medium format, and 4x5 large format to create her images. Carle started photography not by taking classes, but the old-fashioned way: by learning from others. As an intern, she was able to be “hands on” and experience life behind the camera. Everything that she learned as a “student” continues to support her in every click of the shutter. Whether she is shooting in a studio, or outdoors on location, no two images are the same and each express an emotion of the model running the gamut from blissful to despair.

While she specializes in several aspects of photography, her main talent is photographing the naked human form. In particular, her project “Nude Window” reflects the lives of her subjects that choose to expose themselves, bare, to her lens. Almost as a window to the soul, Carle is able to capture the inner and outward beauty of all 100 models that participated in this project. Completing the “play on words” aspect, each model incorporates an actual window into the shot to convey the totality of the emotion. This project was so successful that a gallery showing was just completed on January 16, 2008 in San Francisco, California. Carle has dedicated a website to “Nude Window” at www.nudewindow.com, where visitors can not only view the images, but read the stories that were shared.

Her hopes for the future are simple, keep creating art, and one day, be published. Carle’s images are unique, as is everything she chooses to shoot. Whether it is a jewelry advertisement, or a model wearing nothing but skin, she creates clean, crisp, beautiful pictures that draw the viewer in, and constantly beg for more.

My Nude Window

2007-09-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

How do I tell my story?

If you would like to be a part of www.nudewindow.com please fill out the following information. I will be traveling all over the U.S. for the next two years recording as many nude window stories as I can. I may not get to all of them but I will try my hardest.
Name:

Phone Number:

Email:

Address & location:

Dates & times preferred:

Name to be used for nude window project:

Your story:

I will be in contact with you soon.
M. Carle