Nude photoshoot highlights Dead Sea
200 men and women participated in a nude artistic installation by the American artist Spencer Tunick in the desert landscape around Arad.
The installation
The photographic installation is designed to support the establishment of the Dead Sea Museum in Arad. As part of the artwork, the artist used a white body paint that had never before been used.
In cooperation with the Israel Ministry of Tourism, the Arad Municipality, the Dead Sea Revival Project, Spencer Tunick has returned to the Dead Sea region after two earlier installations that won international acclaim and helped raise awareness of Israel as a tourism destination.
Participants in the project say that this project is expected to be one of the most daring and controversial ever undertaken by the artist. Tunick has created installations in, among others, New York, London, Vienna, Barcelona and Sydney. Today, Arad joins this illustrious list, hosted by the Israel Ministry of Tourism.
About 200 people who agreed to participate in the installation arrived in Arad in the early afternoon and disrobed somewhere in the desert landscape surrounding Arad. The event took about three hours, during which the artist positioned the volunteer models and the camera, according to the background and the light etc.
The installation is designed to draw world attention to the importance of preserving and restoring the Dead Sea, as well as the establishment of the Dead Sea Museum to be built in Arad, under the initiative and leadership of Ari Fruchter who recruited Tunick for the promotional campaign.
Arad was selected to host Tunick because of its proximity to the Dead Sea and its tourist potential. Arad boasts 1,500 guestrooms in dozens of zimmers (bed and breakfast), hotels and hostels, many hiking and biking routes, with international tourist attractions in the area, such as Masada, the Dead Sea and Tel Arad.
Spencer Tunick said: “It is difficult to hide the fact that the Dead Sea is disappearing and the establishment of the Dead Sea Museum is our way to create awareness of this fact. My visit to Israel was an experience for me and I am always happy to return here and photograph in the only country in the Middle East that allows art such as this.”
Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov commented: “Every image published by the artist represents a tourism boost for Israel. Millions of people from around the world see the beauty and the tourism potential of Arad and the Dead Sea. As Israel opens it skies to vaccinated tourists, we look forward to welcoming them once again to the unique landscapes of the Dead Sea region, one of Israel’s leading tourist destinations. ”
Arad Mayor Nisan Ben Hamo added: “We are proud to host an artist of such standing as Spencer Tunick. We have shown that Arad is beautiful from without and from within, a democratic, liberal and pluralistic city with different communities and cultures.
Head of the Tamar Regional Council Nir Wanger said: “The Tamar Regional Council has invested millions of shekels in recent years in issues related to the receding Dead Sea and raising awareness both internationally and locally, including, among others, the New 7Wonders of the World competition. In recent years, the Tamar and Megillot regional councils and the relevant government ministries led by the Ministry of Environmental Protection under government decision 3742 are working to advance solutions to these important issues.”
