Jason deCaires Taylor is a British sculptor famous for his incredible underwater statues. He was responsible for the first ever underwater sculpture park in 2006, which is located just off the coast of Grenada in the Caribbean. His beautiful designs are specially placed to grow coral, and over time the statues develop into stunning reefs that are designed to attract fish and other aquatic life.
The idea behind Taylor's work was to get more people interested in, and engaging with, marine life. The sculptures often consist of human figures or still life pieces, and these are sunk off the coast in a prime position for scuba diving parties. Damaged coral fragments are propagated into the structures, which are made from a pH neutral concrete. This encourages a healthy, natural environment for the marine life to flourish. Groups are taken out to dive amongst the sculptures, admiring the colourful coral reefs that have formed, and the fish that live there.
Image: Jason deCaires Taylor http://www.underwatersculpture.com
Taylor is a qualified scuba diving instructor, a marine conservationist and stunning underwater photographer. He has combined his many skills to create these incredible projects which are now becoming famous all over the world. Grenada, Greece and Mexico are just some of the destinations that have benefitted from his works. More recently, an exhibition in Cornwall has opened at the Eden Project, displaying The Rising Tide sculptures up until the 28th February 2016. The horse-like figures aim to draw attention to our ongoing dependency on fossil fuel and you can read all about the exhibition here.
Currently based in Lanzarote, Taylor is working on a project located close to Santa Rosa. An underwater museum of sculptures will be submerged in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Playa Blanca near Los Coloradas.
The project is coming together in the form of 300 sculptures, which are due to be submerged late next year. For the meantime they are on display out in the open as part of an exhibition running until March, where people can view them before they disappear into the depths of the ocean.
The idea is that scuba diving groups will be able to visit the structures once they are established enough to be covered in crustaceans and sponges and teaming with life. Paul, Santa Rosa's onsite scuba instructor, is only too keen to get groups of divers out and about to see them. The statues will be placed on the sandy seabed amid stunning seascapes at a depth of around 12 – 15 metres. This means snorkelers can view them from the water too, and for those who don't fancy getting their hair wet a special glass-bottomed boat will be taking trips out there to ensure everyone who wants to is able to appreciate Taylor's stunning works.
To stay at Santa Rosa yourself, and discover Lanzarote, simply follow the link below.
