The Silent Evolution : new installation currently in progress by Jason deCaires Taylor, installed in The national marine park of Cancun/ Isla Mujeres, Mexico. 250 of the 400 life size Statues casted from local members of the community to form an artificial reef.
From ArtistADay
Jason de Caires Taylor was born in 1974 and divided the earlier part of his life in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.
Much of his childhood was spent on the coral reefs of Malaysia where he developed a profound love of the sea and a fascination with the natural world.
This would later lead him to spend several years working as a scuba diving instructor in various parts of the globe, developing a strong interest in conservation, underwater naturalism and photography.
In 1998, Taylor received a BA Honours in Sculpture and Ceramics from Camberwell College of Arts, but his scuba diving qualification would prove equally important to his art career—in May 2006 he created the world’s first underwater sculpture park in Grenada, West Indies, furnished with underwater sculptures of his design.
These sculptures create a unique, absorbing and expansive visual seascape, highlighting natural ecological processes while offering the viewer privileged temporal encounters.
His underwater sculptures, designed to create artificial reefs for marine life to colonise and inhabit, embrace the transformations wrought by ecological processes.
The sculptures are made from porous materials that will encourage coral to grow.
The works engage with a vision of the possibilities of a sustainable future, portraying human intervention as positive and affirmative.
Drawing on the tradition of figurative imagery, the aim of Jason de Caires Taylor’s work is to address a wide-ranging audience crucial for highlighting environmental issues beyond the confines of the art world.
However, fundamental to understanding his work is that it embodies the hope and optimism of a regenerative, transformative Nature.
The sculptures are sited in clear shallow waters to afford easy access by divers, snorkellers and those in glass-bottomed boats.
It is hoped the installation will provide a habitat for marine life, and relieve pressure on natural reefs from over half a million water-going tourists who visit the region every year.
Viewers are invited to discover the beauty of our underwater planet and to appreciate the processes of reef evolution.
Jason de Caires Taylor was born in 1974 and divided the earlier part of his life in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.
Much of his childhood was spent on the coral reefs of Malaysia where he developed a profound love of the sea and a fascination with the natural world.
This would later lead him to spend several years working as a scuba diving instructor in various parts of the globe, developing a strong interest in conservation, underwater naturalism and photography.
In 1998, Taylor received a BA Honours in Sculpture and Ceramics from Camberwell College of Arts, but his scuba diving qualification would prove equally important to his art career—in May 2006 he created the world’s first underwater sculpture park in Grenada, West Indies, furnished with underwater sculptures of his design.These sculptures create a unique, absorbing and expansive visual seascape, highlighting natural ecological processes while offering the viewer privileged temporal encounters.
His underwater sculptures, designed to create artificial reefs for marine life to colonise and inhabit, embrace the transformations wrought by ecological processes.
The sculptures are made from porous materials that will encourage coral to grow.
The works engage with a vision of the possibilities of a sustainable future, portraying human intervention as positive and affirmative.
Drawing on the tradition of figurative imagery, the aim of Jason de Caires Taylor’s work is to address a wide-ranging audience crucial for highlighting environmental issues beyond the confines of the art world.
However, fundamental to understanding his work is that it embodies the hope and optimism of a regenerative, transformative Nature.
The sculptures are sited in clear shallow waters to afford easy access by divers, snorkellers and those in glass-bottomed boats.
It is hoped the installation will provide a habitat for marine life, and relieve pressure on natural reefs from over half a million water-going tourists who visit the region every year.
Viewers are invited to discover the beauty of our underwater planet and to appreciate the processes of reef evolution.
Links :
- TheGuardian : 8 photos of Jason deCaires Taylor's sculpture submerged
- Jason is currently resident in Mexico as Artistic Director of the new Cancun Underwater Museum
- to see more of de Caires Taylor’s work, visit www.underwatersculpture.com
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