Since 1984 Coplans has concentrated in his work on photographing his own naked body. The poses in these photographs are derived from the way in which pre-civilised mankind would have slept. Sleeping in front of a fire, males and females would have covered their genitals and breasts in a similar fashion. Coplans stated: 'We spend a large part of our lives in sleep, it is a continuously shared experience, and as basic to our lives as sex, eating, drinking, and searching for food.' Although the photographs are monumentally sized and the subject is universality, the individuality of Coplans's body is emphasised.