Spencer Tunick publishes the first official Naked Dead Sea photo this weekend.
Naked Dead Sea and naked Israelis were the talk of the Internet last month as 1,200 Israelis volunteered to strip all to save the Dead Sea from environmental decay. American-Jewish installation artist Spencer Tunick came to Israel and photographed the glistening naked bodies in the dawn of the day, including one Green Prophet writer Alex.
You can read Alex’s account of getting naked for the Dead Sea here. But all the pictures we saw back then were taken from afar as volunteers were not allowed to even sneak in cameras. Up above you are looking at the first picture released by Spencer Tunick, in what is likely to be a huge attention grabbing installation.
A video of the installation in the works: caution, there is clear nudity in the video
Some Green Prophet readers will no doubt be offended by the idea of getting naked for the Dead Sea, religious Jews, Muslims and Christians included. And I certainly wouldn’t do it at this point in my life. But some environmentalists have no problem with exposing their bodies to support a cause: a rapidly retreating global wonder, devastated from lack of water runoff, and industrial mineral-grabbing.
One reader Xoussef writes:
“I do not “understand” art, and don’t pretend to, but this is a bit “faux cul”. I mean that experiencing the nakedness, participating in a shooting, are good enough reasons to participate, and the aesthetic value of it is all the reason the artist needs, but grafting the angle of saving the sea on it is extremely naive at best, dishonest at worst, and eminently futile otherwise.
“What’s needed here is funding and lobbying, I fail to see how this installation helps with either, if it doesn’t prove to be detrimental.
“Just doing the installation straight forward for the sake of Art seems to me a whole lot more honest and honourable.”
What’s your take? A good cause to save the sea or …?
More on the Naked Dead Sea project:
Why I got Naked for the Dead Sea
Strip Naked for the Dead Sea
A Thousand Israelis Get Naked for the Dead Sea
New Life Found in the Dead Sea
Looks like a floating holocaust. So appropriate for it to have taken place in “the dead sea.” Lol. Let’s see how jewish humour holds up.
I participated in the installation, and to be honest, I hadn’t been at the Dead Sea for four years. Shortly thereafter I took my wife for a day at the same beach. The installation made us more aware of the situation, although we had heard about a plan to remove minerals from the bottom in order to save the hotels at Ein Bokek.
For my report on the installation, see: http://trifter.com/asia-pacific/jordan/spencer-tunicks-dead-sea-installation-an-insiders-view/
Dear Xxousef – Tunick is famous for this kind of art having photographed well over 70 such massive projects, raising awareness in the process. It is my understanding that this is his way to lobby and raise awareness, and in so doing, bring in those much needed funds. Have you checked out any of his other installations around the globe?
Respectfully, T
Awareness of our natural world and its path toward destruction is displayed by Mr. Tunick. I applaud his effort as I do the citizens who participated. The world is becoming cognizant of elite greed and only the people will win in the end through clean energy technologies, which BTW, began via Steve Jobs and his communication company Apple.
I do not “understand” art, and don’t pretend to, but this is a bit “faux cul”. I mean that experiencing the nakedness, participating in a shooting, are good enough reasons to participate, and the aesthetic value of it is all the reason the artist needs, but grafting the angle of saving the sea on it is extremely naive at best, dishonest at worst, and eminently futile otherwise. What’s needed here is funding and lobbying, I fail to see how this installation helps with either, if it doesn’t prove to be detrimental.
Just doing the installation straight forward for the sake of Art seems to me a whole lot more honest and honourable.