Underwater Sculpture

If I ever get the chance, I would love to visit the underwater sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor out in the waters of Grenada in the West Indies and Cancun, off the coast of Mexico.

As part of conservation projects to help preserve precious coral reef, the Mexico based English-Guyanese artist (diving instructor and underwater photographer) carved many groups of statues from specialised cement and had them installed on the sea bed. The intention was to help promote coral growth and marine life on them to try and relieve the pressure from tourism on the natural reefs.

The result is fascinating and beautiful. There are scenes of sole statues sitting at desks or lying on a garden patio and groups of statues en mass or standing in a ring holding hands, all now resplendent in multi-coloured coral. Aquatic life swims past and shifting underwater light adds to the other-worldly effect.

What I love is that the reef systems which have been encouraged to establish on them have turned the sculptures, which are amazing on their own, into living pieces of art. They are literally alive and will, because of that, constantly be changing. Static, yet moving at the same time. It's such an elegant concept.

Simply mesmerising.

To see much more and read about the projects, visit the UnderwaterSculpture site and gallery.