Jason de Caires Taylor is my latest find, a successful artist, underwater naturalist, certified diving instructor and award winning photographer. I am completely in awe of how he has unified his creative talents with his love of underwater life and commitment to sustainability all in one amazing visual destination.
Born in 1974, growing up globetrotting the world and graduating from University of Arts London with a B.A. Honors in Sculpture and Ceramics, he is now the first creator of the world's first underwater park. He has gained international recognition for his unique work of sculptures that highlight ecological processes while exploring intricate relationships between modern art and the environment. Interventions of sculptures that form artificial reefs "promote hope and recovery, and underline our need to understand and protect the natural world."
Oceans teem with microscopic organisms that are constantly drifting
down towards the seabed, attaching to and colonizing on the way any
hard secure surface, such as rock outcrops, and thereby creating the
basis of a natural reef. Coral reefs attract an array of marine life
(such as colorful fish, turtles, sea urchins, sponges, and sharks) and
also provide enclosed spaces for sea creatures to breed or take refuge.
Only about 10 – 15% of the seabed has a solid enough substratum to
allow reefs to form naturally. In order to increase the number of reefs
in these areas, artificial reefs have recently been created from
materials that are durable, secure and environmentally sensitive. These
reefs appear to have been successful in that they have attracted coral
growth, which, in turn, can support an entire marine ecosystem. One of
the greatest benefits of artificial reefs is that they have lifted the
pressure off natural reefs, which over the past few decades, have been
over-fished and over-visited. By diverting attention to artificial
reefs, natural reefs have now been given a greater chance to repair and regenerate.
The first 100 sculptures of the installation “The Silent Evolution” are now nearing completion. The life-size figurative casts taken from various members of the local community are planned to form a monumental artificial reef, aiming to draw both visitors and marine life to an uninhabited area of the national marine park.
The experience of being underwater is vastly different from that of being on land. There are physical and optical considerations that must be taken into account, objects appear larger and colors alter as light is absorbed and reflected. Water is a malleable medium that enables the viewers to become active in their engagement.
Vicissitudes depicts a circle of figures, all linked through holding hands. These are life-size casts taken from a group of children of diverse ethnic background. Circular in structure and located five meters below the surface, the work both withstands currents and replicates one of the primary geometric shapes, evoking ideas of unity and continuum.
"The sculpture proposes growth, chance and natural transformation. it
shows how time and environment impact and shape the physical body.
Children, by nature are adaptive to their surroundings. Their use
within the work highlights the importance of creating a sustainable and
well-managed environment, a space for future generations."
The first installation of 200 sculptures is scheduled
for deployment in June 2010 with the remainder of the 400 by the end of
the year. Since November 09 the first 3 underwater pieces installed in
the; Museo Subaquatico de Cancun have been a great success, drawing
much interest from tourists and already showing exponential coral
growth in only 3 months.
Post Author for Globally Gorgeous
Tamara Wallop
