Urbanudist over Lima Streets 1° Part (Patreon)

FIRST PART

It was a February 26, 2016, full summer in Lima, the capital city of Peru. Days before I learned that our dear friend Jacqueline was in the great Lima. Jacqueline was a girl from Arequipa and in that city she had already promoted some group activities of cultural tone that implied the total nakedness of the attendees. Some years before I learned about her, I contacted her, I talked about nudism and she started a friendship between us neither so close nor so far away and I always invited her to join the project but there was not much interest on her part. For some people naturist nudism never becomes a true lifestyle option. These people make you realize that nudism is not for everyone. Well, she was in Lima because of fate of destiny in those days and I was also in Lima for reasons of work very lively with Sunday activities in Puerto Bonito beach. For years ago I had already seen the work of an Argentine girl Paula Brindisi who had taken some photos in Barcelona in public spaces and others in Buenos Aires that attracted a lot of attention from the press, called herself Avril X and her movement proclaimed it as “Urbanudism” Long before in Santiago, Chile, a 17-year-old adolescent Lucia Flores Catrileo from the hand of her mentor Luizo Vega, a controversial Argentine performer, had walked through the streets of Santiago naked, causing a great media fuss in the southern country that ended with the expatriation of Luizo Vega.

Our intention was not to cause a stir or anything, I think that none of us at that point was prepared to go out in the international press, so we thought to do something much more moderate and very low profile almost without anyone knowing. If we wanted to take the photos on the public road but we said better we do it when there are no people. I told the idea to the not very enthusiastic Jacqueline and the always very enthusiastic Celso Mendo known member of the Lima nudity group and that she had her truck that would be very useful for these purposes. Both agreed and we agreed on the date and place of the raid.

That Friday, the agreed date, dawned cloudy, which is almost normal in Lima. I woke up very early and went to meet my friend Celso somewhere in the city of Lima and from there we went to pick up our friend Jacqueline that was in another point of the center of the great Lima. We were all three, they amateur models and I improvised photographer. Neophytes in this type of work we wanted to take pictures in about five points of the city. It was still night in the early morning, so we decided to start in the center of the city. Where could it be? We weren’t sure. Celso said on Av. July 28 there are some sculptures and they are naked I think a photo would fit very well there. It was a monument that was in the middle of one of the most central avenues of Lima. Well we said we go there and get in the van. Upon arrival there were few people and we did not doubt it. Both, that is to say Celso and Jacqueline, wore very light clothes, she only a dress on top and he a polo shirt and a short, as if to move immediately from the textile mode to the nudist mode and I with my semi-professional camera ready to take the shots.

We assaulted the monument, there were only a few vehicles passing through the avenue and we started to take the pictures. The monument was so tall and besides that there was no sunlight yet, the sculptures of the upper part did not appear in any photograph. But even so, very good images came out. We did everything in a few minutes, the heart of us three was beating fast, but with the success of the intervention we were emboldened. There was a park a little further and some jogged playing sports and then the idea came up. “Jogging.” We all thought it was a good idea and Jacqueline sent her to do some jogging in nudist mode. Run a little, we told her and she dutifully jogged. There came some photos too. The ideas came one after the other. “Stopping a combi” (urban transport in Lima). Yes, we all said, let’s do it. And again in nudist mode both, Celso and Jacqueline stood at the whereabouts and stopped a combi which by the way did not stop. They were there for a long time raising their hands but none stopped, maybe they thought they were crazy. The people passing by also didn’t say anything to the point of feeling almost ignored. We weren’t really brave enough to take more photos in the place. The fear of the police coming or serenade was latent. It was all for us in that place and we said we go to the next location. The next location was the National Stadium of Lima. We’re going over there…

SECOND PART

We had to find a place to park and we couldn’t find a suitable place. Well, it will only be a moment, we said and stopped on an avenue next to the National Stadium of Lima. What do we do? someone asked. We will take a few shots here in front of the stadium. By that time it was already clear although the city lights were still on and a few private cars were passing, also public transport buses with their early and sleepy passengers. We were close to Paseo de la República Avenue, one of the busiest and most representative avenues in Lima, also known as the “Vía Expresa” or the “Zanjón”. A few people walked the streets. Let’s start, we said. I think we are going to take a few shots walking. We are going to take them from here to see that Jacqueline is walking in the city just in front of the stadium. Celso, I said, you’re going to film. I gave Celso a small camera and he became an impromptu cameraman just like the photographer I was. You can’t avoid nervousness by doing something forbidden, I’m sure we all were, maybe much more Jacqueline than was going to be the naked girl walking the streets. But come on, we were already there. Jacqueline braver than all, very determined and in order to overcome her nervousness in a couple of skillful movements, she took off the dress that was the only garment she wore, was totally naked and walked towards the stadium. Two lanes had to be crossed, but none of that changed her, she began her short and perhaps a little hurried urban walk. He crossed to the other side of the street. There he stopped for a moment, passed an urban bus that for a moment interfered with the vision and then returned quietly. Everything was very fast, I think we are going to do it once again because they have not come out very good shots. And again Jacqueline, without hesitation made the same route. He crossed the two streets stopped for a moment and returned. Celso was following her with the camera. When he had returned the second time and we were thinking what other shots could be made, a patrolman of the national police appeared. He got right next to us and released the classic. “Documents Gentlemen”. The first one who asked for the document went to Jacqueline. Fortunately if he had brought it. They are Peruvians? the police asked while they asked for my and Celso’s friend’s documents. If we are Peruvians, we respond. Why are they doing this?. It’s for an artistic work, we told them. I think we also mentioned that we were from a nudity group. The police were firm in indicating that we could not do that because there were children and other arguments already known. The good thing is that they didn’t stop us or take our camera or anything like that, maybe because they didn’t find us infragantis since Jacqueline had already put on her dress when the patrolman appeared. Well, whatever we had to go, there was the photo session at the National Stadium. Then checking the camera I realized that the shots had gone out of focus and perhaps the only thing that looked good were the short videos that Celso made and that by the way apparently they are also lost .. Where now? We said, it had to be somewhere far from there. We are going to Chorrillos to the area where the famous “Cristo Blanco” has been installed, I proposed. We go there nodded and so we headed to the Morro Solar of Chorrillos.

THIRD PART

We traveled the express route in the blue Susuky truck from Celso towards Chorrillos, the clarity of the day showed the sky completely cloudy. It didn’t look like a summer day in Lima at all. We go down the Costa Verde and arrive at Chorrillos. The Morro Solar is known because there are installed a lot of antennas from all the television and radio channels of the capital. Some years ago, in 2011 approximately, there was a controversy over the installation of a “White Christ” in an area near the Morro. Among the agreements and disagreements, the so-called “White Christ of the Pacific” was finally installed, which they say was a gift from a transnational construction company that later turned out to be one of the most corrupt in this part of the world. We go up the narrow road leaving behind the old houses in that area of

Chorrillos, Lima’s popular district, until we reach the top of a hill that is actually close to the Morro Solar, we advance to an area very close to the monument and there we leave the truck . We got out of the truck with the intention of going directly to the “White Christ” about 37 meters or more high, which is on a land esplanade. There were no people, only some people wandering in the distance.

Well what we came to, we said to each other and saw the city in the background, under that sad gray sky. We had to take a picture in that background. There was an old cement structure nearby, something that looked like an old, small pedestal covered at the top with blue-colored majolica. And there began the session with Jacqueline. Again her dress outside to give in the hands of Celso and in a jump she was already on the pedestal. We start with the photos, first sitting, then standing, around the pedestal, close. The atmosphere was good, lots of laughs and a lot of fun. Then Celso’s turn, the same first on the pedestal, up, down, up again, pointing to the city until the ideas were over.

Celso came forward and the first thing he did was stand in a nudist way on the somewhat painted granite pulpit in front of the Christ. We were going to him and the first picture was taken. Celso approached to leave the entire monument, then walked away and there was joined by Jacqueline who also in nudist mode jumped on the concrete benches that were in front of the pulpit installed on the ground floor somewhat yellowish tone. Then Jacquelie sat on the pulpit and Celso who had moved away a little came back to be now both on the altar. When people are undoubtedly, a feeling of brotherhood arises that provokes somewhat curious reactions. An example of this was when Jacqueline, without giving her any indication, gave Celso a spontaneous hug, they didn’t know each other before, but I imagine she felt the confidence of giving him that show of affection. It was the first time they saw or did something together. In that appeared a puppy that wanted to join the session but no, it was a photo shoot only for human town planners. Then I switched sides and put myself between the White Christ and the altar so that you can take pictures with the background of the city, which was not a good idea since the pulpit was totally unpresentable from that angle. Then we took more pictures next to the Christ and between the spaces that are at its base. We really had a great time there. There were jokes and games, Jacqueline and Celso our town planning models spent about 20 to 30 minutes entering and leaving the spaces of the structure playing like two children.

We wanted to take more pictures, so we went back to the old pedestal and there were only photos of the photographer in nudist mode. The models encouraged him so I also modeled. It was the clothes, which for me was more complicated and some photos came out next to that pedestal. Again we looked towards the Christ and as a game I stood in front with my arms outstretched as if imitating the position of the Christ. I did it first and then Jacqueline did it, but the prettiest picture logically came out with her and her arms stretched to the sides looking at the sky. Before we left we had to take a picture of the three using the automatic camera with the Christ in the background, after several attempts came out. I think at that moment a guardian or something was coming but we were already leaving. Now where are we going? At Cerro San Cristobal I said. but before that we had to find something for breakfast. We ate some sandwiches out there and then to Cerro San Cristobal …

By León Madero