Israeli artist crystallizes dress in Dead Sea salt

LONDON, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Israeli artist Sigalit Landau drew inspiration from an old Yiddish play for her new project "Salt Bride," which involved using salt to crystallize a dress.

Landau, partnered with photographer Yotam From, submerged a traditional Hasidic dress in the salt-rich water of Israel's famed Dead Sea for two months and photographed the transformation process.

The series of eight photos are featured in London's Marlborough Contemporary gallery until Sept. 3.

The long black dress is a replica of the costume worn by the bride in the Yiddish play The Dybbuk, in which the bride is possessed by an evil spirit and made to undergo an exorcism.

In "Salt Bride," the costume changes from black to sparkling white as the salt crystallizes the gown.

"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," the Marlborough said in a statement.