A MODEST art graduate is set to have the best known body in Salford - after taking her clothes off to help sell a block of flats.
Rosalind Simmi Sandhu's body will appear on 40ft by 10ft hoardings at Salford Quays in a bid to seduce home hunters to move there.
But she only agreed to pose on condition that her face was not shown.
Developers hope to turn heads by using her sexy image.
They will promote 180 new apartments called The Broadway, which are being built close to where the mediacity:uk complex will be at The Quays.
Rosalind, who is known as Simmi, was on her first modelling assignment and believes the shots are "artistic and beautiful".
Lee Garland, the photographer who took the pictures, said: "I was commissioned to do something sexy - a bit raunchy to get people looking. As the scheme is called The Broadway I used a theatre theme and the bowler hat and dark shades and contrast to partly conceal the models."
At least one picture of a man will also be used.
The photographs will go on huge boards surrounding the site of the development which will overlook mediacity:uk where the BBC will base five main departments from 2010 as part of a vast centre for media companies.
Simmi, 28, from Manchester, said: "I did the shoot on condition that my face would not been shown. I have done an art history degree and I love classical art. I think it will look amazing. I think they are beautiful pictures and are more like a landscape than a body.
"They are not like FHM pictures or those in the tabloids. It is artistic.
"I have no ambitions to become a glamour model. It was a one-off for Lee who is a friend. He assured me that my face would not be shown and allowed me to see the pictures and choose which ones could be used.
"I might have a good bottom but I'm not too sure about my face. It was nice to be asked to do this and I did it because I could trust Lee."
Chris Heath, managing director of developers Prospect (GB) Ltd, said: "We wanted a campaign that reflects the young, fresh and edgy future of the Quays. It's already an amazing place to live but with plans for Media City it's going to be a very `sexy' place to be.
"Broadway will be smack-bang in the thick of this incredible lifestyle, surrounded by world-class entertainment and leisure facilities. The image we've given to the apartments reveals this brilliantly."
But Conservative city councillor Robin Garrido said: "I don't think this is the kind of thing we want to see in Salford. I am sure there will be some kind of text with them and you wonder what that will be.
"It beggars belief and I can't see any point to it. It seems to be saying this is our new city - and anything goes. As a council we are trying to promote Salford as a decent place to live and encourage young people to do the right thing and I don't think this sends out the right message. I will be raising this issue with the Chief Executive of Salford City Council as a matter of urgency."
And the AA believes the pictures could drive motorists to distraction.
Andrew Howard, the organisation's head of road safety, said: "On the one hand it could be seen as a trifle irresponsible but drivers have heaven knows how many distractions to deal with - including real women walking on the pavement - this is just adding another one."
neal.keeling@men-news.co.uk
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Fancy a peek in show home?
February 09, 2008
Hoardings going up in Salford, overlooking the nearby mediacity:uk site shot in January by yours truly. Under wraps for the time being, but keep your eyes peeled for some raunchy girls & boys gracing the neighbourhood
Showing comments 1 to 3 and replies | View All
LookingForLogic, Stockport (12/02/2008 at 01:51)
Quays Mark, Salford Quays (12/02/2008 at 16:30)
The site now consists of 10 cranes with an 11th on the way (crane base in place). Most of the concrete cores of the new BBC building look to be in place or started, rising to 9-10 storeys (maybe more) for the highest cores. The cores are currently being surrounded by concrete pillars up to 4 storeys currently. There are upto 400 workers on site currently with a proposed 1000 to be posted eventually with 18 cranes in all (according to unconfirmed reports from workers on-site).
The land for the taller buildings off to the side of the main BBC building (right from the Lowry Centre side) is still being dug and prepared but more temporary cabins are in place off Broadway (the road that runs through the back of the Quays) presumably to house more MediaCity:UK project staff and a contingent of the BBC (cameramen) looking at the latest articles across the internet.
The current phase of the build occupies 35-40 acres (next to the City Lofts flats) with other phases planned across the water on the Imperial War Museum side.
The overall site is something of the order of 200 acres but no visible signs of development has started outside the main phase 1 area currently. No doubt this will depend on discussions with other media companies being persuaded to join the MediaCity:UK estate.
For a photographic timeline for December / February and beyond (and pictures back to May of last year), go to Google and search on ‘BBC Salford Quays Approved - Media City : UK whitfield’ in Google or goto ‘www.mawhitfield.co.uk/mcuk.htm’.
Judging be the pace of the development, there is a big push on to meet the 2010/11 date for the first phase completion.
Those currently thinking about a career in the media by way of a chosen degree (media studies, photography etc.) might be one of the 15,500 new jobs to be created between now and 2011 in the first phase of this build. Also, the price of properties (and especially flats) in the area will almost certainly rise as a result of the considerable development occuring in this location with new flats being built currently.
I have worked as an IT Manager in Salford Quays for 12 years and live in North Bolton. When I first came here, the skyline of the Quays area was relatively flat but now houses such buildings as The Designer Outlet (80 outlet stores), The iconic Lowry and Imperial War Museum Buildings and new flat developments which continue to be built in anticipation of the BBC move and general growth in this area.
Hope this update helps.
Jenny Halton (15/02/2008 at 12:44)
Firstly, I notice it appeared in the MEN under the headline 'Does my bum look big in this?' Nice work, guys. Because all women, even those who are happy for tasteful nude shots of them to be displayed on 40ft hoardings, must be insecure about their bodies.
Secondly, I see that you're happy to make a big fuss that a woman is "taking her clothes off to help sell a block of flats", yet the fact that a male model is also to be used is only mentioned, once, seven paragraphs in. Either this is offensively lazy writing, or you are happy to intimate that it is acceptable for a man to model nude, but unacceptable and newsworthy if a woman chooses to do the same.
And naturally you had to follow this all with a quote from the AA's head of Road Safety. Never mind the fact that he effectively dismisses the idea that these images could lead to hazardous driving; introduce it with "the AA believes the pictures could drive motorists to distraction" anyway. Far more sensational this way, eh?
I can't believe that any journalist would choose to write such a sexist, sensationalist, and simply poor quality feature of their own accord.
I assume, therefore, that there is some advertorial agreement with the property company which means MEN have to give coverage to The Broadway development. Fine. Property developers pay big money, and every paper - especially free ones - have to make their money somewhere.
But given that many property companies have happily run such campaigns in the past (Dandara's Spectrum, for example), this is hardly big news. In fact, it is hardly news at all and the way that it is presented is both lazy and offensivly sexist.