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Artist Submerges Dress in the Dead Sea for Two Months to Let the Salt Transform It

As part of her “Salt” series, Israeli artist Sigalit Landau suspends objects within the Dead Sea for set periods of time. Because the Dead Sea has a salinity level of 34.2%, making it nearly 10 times as salty as typical ocean water, it has an interesting effect on said objects. Here’s Landau’s latest, “Salt Bride,” a replica of a traditional Hasidic dress that she left in the drink over a two-month period:

The traditional Hasidic garment shown in the photographs is a replica of the costume worn by the female character Leah in the canonical Yiddish play, The Dybbuk, as portrayed by legendary actress Hanna Rovina for forty years with the Habima Theatre, first in Russia and then Israel.

Written by S. Ansky between 1913 and 1916, The Dybbuk tells the story of a young bride possessed by an evil spirit and subsequently exorcised. In Landau’s Salt Bride series, Leah’s black garb is transformed underwater as salt crystals gradually adhere to the fabric. Over time, the sea’s alchemy transforms the plain garment from a symbol associated with death and madness into the wedding dress it was always intended to be.

Eight underwater images that Landau shot while documenting the crystallization process are currently on display at London’s Marlborough Contemporary. You’ve got until September 3rd to catch it.