THE NAKED SEA

Artist Spencer Tunick asks Israel:

Disrobe to Save the Dead Sea

World-renowned contemporary artist Spencer Tunick is inviting hundreds of participants to disrobe and to take part in a human installation, his first in Israel, aimed to raise international awareness to the disappearing Dead Sea. The installation will take place on September 17, at the Dead Sea shore.

People wanting to participate in the live artwork can register online at:

www.nakedsea.info

The Dead Sea is receding at a rate of 1.2 meters per year due to manmade activities. The water that used to run into it through the Jordan Valley is now being used for drinking for the growing population of the area. Over 20 percent of the water loss is due to the Dead Sea Works, drying its water in order to produce chemicals and phosphate.

The Dead Sea, one of the region's natural tourism treasures is a highly saline lake in the center of the Great Rift Valley, surrounded by Jordan, Israel and the Palestine Authority. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. Its “elevation” is presently around 424 meters below sea level. The uniqueness of this body of water lays in its high salinity that enables the unique flotation experience and its minerals making it the largest natural spa in the world.

Spencer Tunick told about his personal relation to the dead sea: “I first visited the Dead Sea as a child back in 1979 and was always amazed by its buoyancy and beauty. When I returned for a visit in 2010 I was shocked to see how much the water had receded. This is a body of water that unites 3 different people – Israelis, Jordanians, and Palestinians. The environmental impact is alarming and through my work I hope to bring back life – showcasing the importance of water in this region and creating art with the naked human form that brings world attention to the need to save the Dead Sea.”

Spencer Tunick’s artwork has challenged humankind’s relationship with its environment for more than 20 years. Throughout the world, he has staged more than 100 large-scale body landscapes in the heart of urban or natural settings, each time gathering hundreds or thousands of volunteer nude participants. In 2007 together with Greenpeace, he achieved an intense illustration of humankind’s tragic relationship with the climate, rallying 600 volunteers to pose naked on the Aletsch glacier, the largest in Europe.

You can help today by visiting http://www.votedeadsea.com/

The Dead Sea is a finalist in the New7Wonders of Nature online global campaign

(www.new7wonders.com), after beating out 440 other sites. With only a few months left before the 7 finalists are announced on 11.11.11, Spencer Tunick has decided to embark on an artistic mission to help the Dead Sea inspired by the words of Bernard Webber (founder of the New7Wonders Foundation) - "If we want to save anything, we first need to truly appreciate it."

Each participant will receive a limited edition photograph of the installation. Practical information will be provided to each participant a week prior to the installation date.