The young Italian man was playing on a basketball court with two friends when professional photographer Stefano Morelli approached him and asked to take his photograph. All four were entirely naked, aside from Giacomo, who had thrown on his orange shirt to play. It was 2014, and all were holidaying in Cap d’Agde in the south of France, within the resort’s naturist village, considered the largest in Europe.
“Inside there are supermarkets, shops, a post office, bars, discos and, of course, the beach,” says Morelli, also from Italy. The fenced perimeter is controlled 24/7 by private security; there is only one entrance and you must present identification and agree to the rules, the main one being: no clothes allowed. Given the resort’s strict policy against cameras, Morelli’s photograph was taken furtively, with his iPhone 4s. Aside from some colour optimisation, it is otherwise unedited. “I describe myself as a visual anthropologist, and I love to learn about alternative lifestyles,” Morelli says. “When I first arrived in my clothes, I felt all eyes on me; as soon as I was undressed, no one considered me any more.”
By the end of his visit, Morelli came to believe that living without clothes “flattens any socioeconomic difference. We become so accustomed to categorising and stereotyping, and presenting ourselves in a way that defines our status, but that is all taken away. You focus less on form and more on quality human interactions.”
