Close to the island of Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, the Atlantic Ocean appears calmly serene, but the deep, blue waters conceal a striking sculptural intervention. Beneath the sea, 14 meters below the surface, stand 300 human-sized concrete artworks, waiting to be slowly subsumed by delicate marine vegetation. Schools of fish swim amongst the sculptures, which appear frozen in time.
Each aquatic humanoid is cast from the mould of an actual, living person; they wear contemporary clothing and appear to be taking part in everyday activities, like reading a book or playing on a park see-saw. Whimsical and spiritual, this project is the latest work by sculptor and environmental activist Jason deCaires Taylor, known for his mind-boggling underwater installations around the globe. His latest work, the Museo Atlántico, Lanzarote, consists of 12 evocative installations, each commenting on a current humanitarian issue.
Taylor completed his first underwater sculpture collection in 2013: the Museo Subacuático de Arte, off the coast of Cancún, Mexico. Atmospheric and soul-stirring, Taylor's sculptures appear to be thoughtful, contemplative beings. Each sculpture purposefully has closed eyes, giving the figures a pensive and ghostly vibe. "Every piece is molded from real people," Taylor tells The Creators Project. "Each of the sculptures has their eyes closed, not only to protect the subject's eyes but because it gives them a rather dreamy and timeless quality." Every sculpture represents a different type of person in today's world, creating a dialogue on understanding societal diversity, whilst mirroring the living, breathing humans they were once molded from.
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