Tel Aviv: Hundreds of models only wear white body paint running on Sunday crossing the stretch of Stark deserts in South Israel near the Dead Sea, part of the latest photography project from American artist Spencer Tunick.
As for Tunick, dressed, black, he stood on the roof of recreational vehicles and issued orders in the megaphone.
“Everyone unites your feet,” he said.
“Hand down.” The 54-year-old photographer visited Israel as a guest of the Ministry of Tourism to describe for the third time the Dead Sea that shrank through naked subjects.
“For me the body represents beauty and life and love,” Tunick said, who had held dozens of large-scale naked shoots throughout the world.
Tunick described more than 1,000 naked models a decade ago on the Salt Sea coast, which recedes around one meter (page) per year.
Israel and Jordan have transferred a lot of upstream water for agriculture and drinking water, while mineral extraction and evaporation accelerated by climate change has worsened the problem.
When Tunick returned five years later, placid waters from their first shooting had receded, leaving crusty sand and gaping water disposal.
On Sunday, Tunick filed his people on Bukit Brown Stony overlooking Lake Turquoise.
About 200 people followed their directions, both men and women, standing upright and bent, some thin and some rotund.
He said he chose to cover models in white paint to raise the story of the Bible on Lot’s wife, which was said to have turned into a pillar of salt.
Anna Kleiman’s doctoral student, 26, said he joined filming to bring awareness in the environmental crisis.
“It feels really natural, as soon as you let go of your clothes,” he said.
“You kinda want to put it back.
I think we just struggle with small stones.” – ‘Lucky …
not too hot’ – Israeli tourism ministry Bankrolled Tunick flights and land costs, said Hassan Matu, Director of Marketing Department for America.
The city of Arad contributed staff and other expenses, said Mayor of Ben Hamo.
Some conservative leaders in Israel against the Tunick project, with one member of parliament demanding the Ministry of Tourism attract its sponsor about “Bulko Bulko Events” Ben Hamo said he saw the project as an affirmation of Arad “as a liberal city”.
He hopes shooting might bring more visitors and help raise funds for the new museum about the dead sea.
Engineer Gil Shavit, 63, talked to reporters after filming, photographer carefully filmed from his shoulder to avoid his personal part-painted parts.
“We are lucky to have clouds today so it’s not too hot,” Shavit said.
He said he posed for the 2011 Tunick Dead Sea project and was grateful for returning.
“Very enchanting see,” he said, added, “Spencer can’t do his job without us.”