A North dad battling against cancer is eager to pose naked for a new artwork so he can leave a lasting reminder of himself for his family.
Paul McGuinness, 45, was among 1000 hopefuls given the once-over yesterday by Angel of the North creator Antony Gormley.
Just 240 of them will be chosen to have a plaster cast made of their nude bodies for use as a basis for a metal matrix.
The ambitious project, titled Domain Field, will be unveiled in May at the Baltic art centre in Gateshead.
Dad-of-two Paul, of Newcastle, is currently in remission from lymphoma, a form of cancer affecting the immune system for which there is no permanent cure.
He is unsure of what the future holds for him, so he hopes to leave a lasting reminder of himself for his family in the form of one of the 240 figures set to make up Domain Field.
The computer consultant said: "I've been in remission for two years now and that's one of the reasons I want to be involved. From my children's point of view, if anything happens to me and I die, they will be able to come to the Baltic and see me."
Janice Hutton, her sister Ruth, 38, and daughter Jo, 15, all from Gates- head, are big fans of the sculptor's works.
Social worker Janice, 48, said: "I'm a little worried about being naked in front of strangers for the plastering process but this is not about sexual exploitation. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Cartoonist Suzy Varty, 53, of Newcastle, said: "I'm very intrigued by the idea that you can be part of something like this, and we may be able to eventually keep the plaster casts of our bodies."
Horticulturist William Strethers, 50, also of Newcastle, said: "Standing still for an hour while the plaster is applied and dries doesn't sound like the most wonderful experience, but the end result is going to be fantastic."
Primary school teacher Brendan Toole, 28, of Newcastle, is another fan of Gormley's works.
He said: "I couldn't miss the opportunity to become part of one of his projects, and the fact he is using the region's people in this art factory only adds to it."
The process of plastering the volunteers chosen will start a week tomorrow. Each cast will take about an hour to make.
The public will be able to watch, but the models' modesty will be preserved by specially built booths.
Antony Gormley said: "Nothing like this has been done before, so it's very experimental."
