Photographer Spencer Tunick on 18 October took pictures of 200 people in the vicinity of the Dead Sea in Israel. This project is part of his live art installation that aims to draw the world’s attention to the environmental issues that have been eating up the lake.

The 200 volunteer models were painted white to the likeness of the salt columns around the lake. This explored the idea that a nude person is powerful, but at the same time vulnerable to external forces, such as weather or disease. It is as if the nude bodies are mirroring what is going on with the Dead Sea.

In an interview with BBC, Tunick explained how this installation is his exploration of the water level issues as well as life and death. He also pointed out how the lake has exponentially shrank over the years and the beach he first started his project at has disappeared due to sinkholes. 

The Dead Sea is the deepest salt lake in the world. Its shoreline has been progressively receding due to the diversion of incoming water from the Jordan River in the northern part of the lake, which is a part of the National Water Carrier scheme, Israel’s largest water project. Meanwhile, the south part was fed off by Dead Sea Works, a company that converts raw materials mined from the lake.