Hundreds of Israelis Get Buck Naked in Public to Keep the Dead Sea Alive

Photographs of a bunch of naked people standing on a beach — people whose skin has been painted snowy white — may not seem like a form of art to some. Don’t tell that to Spencer Tunick, a New York-based, Jewish-American photographer who has made his reputation in the art world by convincing large groups of people to be memorialized in their birthday suits. One of his latest efforts took place in mid-October in Israel: It was aimed at encouraging renewed tourism to the Jewish state (this was before the Omicron variant emerged), and at drawing attention to the fact that the Dead Sea — the lowest point on earth — is rapidly drying up.
 
Quote: “In recent years, the salty sea has diminished in size due to mineral extraction and evaporation caused by climate change. Israel and Jordan also divert some of the sea’s water for agricultural purposes, adding to its contraction.” | “[N]ot all government officials were thrilled with the saucy shoot. One conservative lawmaker described it as a ‘mass abomination,’ according to the Guardian. Volunteers, on the other hand, felt liberated as they posed in the buff. One female volunteer told the publication: ‘It feels really natural; once you take your clothes off, you kind of don’t want to put them back on.’ ”
 
Sources: Wikipedia (introduction), New York Post (quotation)
 
Learn more about photographer Spencer Tunick from Wikipedia. ►
 
Read “The Dead Sea is dying. A $1.5 billion plan aims to resurrect it” (2018) ►
 
Read “Hundreds of Israelis strip naked for photo shoot near the Dead Sea” ►
 
Photo: The Times of Israel
 
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