1,000 nude swimmers float in Dead Sea

Updated
1,000 nude swimmers float in Dead Sea
1,000 nude swimmers float in Dead Sea

Getty


1,000 Israelis have taken part in artist Spencer Tunick's first mass nude shoot in the Dead Sea.

The group, aged from 18 to 77-years-old, were specially selected by the artist, but the location was kept secret to stop any religious officials from disturbing the shoot.

The group gathered at the beach from 1am but were told not to get into the water until sunrise.

A second photograph was taken as participants stood along the edge of one lagoon, while the third and final photograph showed them covered in mud.

1,000 nude swimmers float in Dead Sea
1,000 nude swimmers float in Dead Sea

Getty


As it turned out, the artist had no interruptions, apart from a few members of the public who decided to fly over the naked swimmers.

Journalists from all over the world were stationed a considerable distance away from the group as the shoot began.

Tunick said he believes Israel is the only country in the Middle East with the religious freedom for one of his trademark shoots of nude volunteers.

He insisted that this shoot was not about challenging the region's religious sensitivities or the turmoil associated with the Middle East.

He said his aim was to deliver an environmental message highlighting the message of the world's lowest and saltiest body of water which is rapidly drying up.

Tunick has already shot nude installations in Australia, the US, Brazil, France, England, Spain, Switzerland, Holland and Austria.

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