Director Pierre-Hugues Piché speaks with infectious enthusiasm The world is bare, a documentary series about our relationship with nudity that was shown in around ten countries, from Australia to Germany to South Africa to Brazil. The one to whom we owe the Quebec version Paid taxi (and now Paid taxi: the troops), My little life, Speed geniuses And wilderness, offers an entertaining and socially relevant series that fueled his passion for history. Nudity goes far beyond sexuality and into The world is bareall bodies have their place.
Photo provided by TV5
What is the first approach when we talk about nudity? Are you the one who should say: We’re filming, all naked?
The initial approach was through research, but on site we never knew exactly how many people would show up. When I called command and said, OK, it works, you can take off your clothes, it was a little stressful. But it also happened that I blinked and everyone was naked. That was the football game in Germany. And they did each other no favors and played a real match too. In South Africa, people greeted us naked at the winery. We had jet lag. It was surreal. Nudity allows access to people in all their vulnerability. The answers are more open and sincere. People told us: “I don’t have to prove anything, I’m naked.” Contact was made quickly.
Martin Vachon describes himself as modest. How did he experience it?
It is a project that confronts us with our own values and our own nudity. We are a small team: Martin Vachon, the cameraman Maxime Trudel and me. We talked a lot. After filming, we took the time to debrief and tell each other how we felt there. On the second day of filming, we were here in Quebec and had to get naked in one location. Our job is to document a way of life, not live it. Team building can hardly be stronger! Martin is a warrior. He is hardworking and disciplined. It wasn’t easy for him to be naked. We found the right path, we played it as a challenge. It was a big personal journey for all three of us.
The series addresses political, social and artistic aspects as well as funnier moments. How was the tone set?
Martin is basically a comedian. But I would like to say that each episode is a unique documentary. Although apartheid ended 30 years ago, we still feel it in South Africa. White people are naked for pleasure while black people are naked to assert themselves. It allowed us to immerse ourselves in the history and culture of the country. I really like the episode about Brazil, it is ultra-political and full of emotions. In Japan, nudity is more obscure, except when depicted in traditions such as sumo. I expected the content to be deep, but there are often many layers. Nudity is practiced for pleasure and can also be a means of expression or enable a position to be taken. Martin gave his North American look. He acted as our spokesman.
We can’t talk about nudity without talking about consent. Why was this an issue when I took part in this project?
It was important. People agreed to shoot naked. We constantly revalidated. My job is to calm her down and gently respect her boundaries. In Japan, Shibari (the art of tying) gave me a great artistic journey. When I asked how close I could get to the footage of the performance, the couple told me that I was part of the choreography. Even though the pictures may seem shocking, it was actually a special, sweet and very moving moment. And agreed.
What kind of reaction do you hope to get from this series?
We give clothing a lot of power. They determine our social status. We are more vulnerable naked. I hope the series will lead to some good discussions. For once, a show talks about nudity in a good way by showing different bodies. It is important that young people see this diversity of bodies and know that all bodies are beautiful.
►The world is bare, Friday 9 p.m. on TV5