British sculptor and creator of the world's first underwater sculpture park
Jason deCaires Taylor (born 12 August 1974 inDover)[1] is a British sculptor and creator of the world's first underwater sculpture park – theMolinere Underwater Sculpture Park[2] – and underwater museum –Cancún Underwater Museum (MUSA).[3] He is best known for installing site-specific underwater sculptures that develop naturally into artificialcoral reefs,[4] which local communities and marine life depend on. Taylor integrates his skills as a sculptor, marine conservationist,[5] underwater photographer[6] and scuba diving instructor[7] into each of his projects. By using a fusion ofLand Art traditions and subtly integrating aspects of street art, Taylor produces dynamic sculptural works that are installed on the ocean floor to encourage marine life, to promote ocean conservation and to highlight the current climate crisis.
Taylor's works inGrenada have been listed among the Top 25 Wonders of the World by National Geographic.[2] His projects to date include the creation of theCancún Underwater Museum,Ocean Atlas,[8]The Rising Tide[9],Museo Atlántico,[10]Nest,[11]Coralarium,[12]Nexus,[13]Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA),[14]Écomusée sous-marin de Cannes,[15] and theMuseum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa (MUSAN).[16]
The only son of an English father and Guyanese mother, Taylor was educated inKent with further studies atCamberwell College of Arts Institute of London, where he graduated in 1998 with a B.A Honours degree in Sculpture and Ceramics.[17] Scuba diving from the age of 18, he became a fully qualified scuba instructor in 2002.
Taylor's early work includesVicissitudes,Grace Reef,The Lost Correspondent andThe Unstill Life.[18] All of these artworks are located in the world's first public underwater sculpture park in theCaribbean Sea in Molinere Bay,Grenada, West Indies,[19] and situated in a section of coastline that was badly damaged byHurricane Ivan in 2004.[17]
Taylor's works create haunting, enigmatic underwater scenes, often depicting the mundaneness of life on dry land transported into an alchemic new environment. Instead of the entropic process typically associated with the ocean's corrosive tendencies, Taylor's pieces encourage organisms to grow and affect the surfaces of his creations. They are often commentaries on humanity's relationship with the natural world and the need for conservation, decay and rebirth.[20] The majority of his sculptures are based on living people who are life cast[21] and whose phenotypical qualities alter over time as they slowly evolve from inert concrete to living artificial reefs.[22] Taylor considers that he is "trying to portray how human intervention or interaction with nature can be positive and sustainable, an icon of how we can live in a symbiotic relationship with nature."[23]
In 2009 Taylor relocated his practice to Mexico, where he achieved another milestone: the creation of the world's first underwater museum.[24] TheCancún Underwater Museum(Museo Subacuático de Arte, known as MUSA)[4] holds more than 485 of Taylor's submerged sculptures and 30 land-based pieces. It is located off the coast ofCancún and the Western coast ofIsla Mujeres[25] within theCancún National Marine Park, and occupies an area of over 420 square metres of previously barren seabed. The project was supported and commissioned in 2008 byCONANP, National Commission of Mexican Protected Natural Areas (Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas) and The Cancún Nautical Association. MUSA was officially opened in November 2010.[21]
Works in the museum include individual installations implanted with live coral cuttings rescued from areas of damaged reef.[17]Hombre en llamas (Man on Fire), cast from a local fisherman, stands towards the current with fragments of implanted fire coral in his head and torso.[26]La Jardinera (The Gardener) is a girl lying on a patio nurturing a variety of potted corals. Other works includeEl colecionista de los sueños (The Dream Collector), a man archiving messages found inside bottles that have been brought together by the oceans’ currents.[27]
Taylor createdLa Evolución Silencio (The Silent Evolution), which was added to MUSA in 2011. The artwork consists of more than 400 individual sculptures that immortalised about 90 real-life models from the nearby fishing village ofPuerto Morelos to create a community of people, standing in defence of their oceans. The location for this particular installation was chosen to redirect visitors away from nearby natural reefs, providing these with the opportunity to regenerate.[28] MUSA is referenced as one of the largest and most ambitious projects underwater in the world.[29]
While continuing to produce additional pieces for MUSA, Taylor completed a unique creation for illusionistDavid Copperfield.The Musician, which is a full-scale mermaid seating at a Steinway concert grand piano replica, can be found inMusha Cay, Bahamas. The piano plays soft classical music, similar to the sound of a whale or dolphin, as divers approach.[30]
By the end of 2013, Taylor had placed nearly 700 sculptures around the globe.[20] In 2014Ocean Atlas was installed in theBahamas weighing 60 tons and measuring 5 metres in height.[31] Taylor's immense sculpture modelled after a local Bahamian girl, depicts her carrying the weight of the ocean, referencing the ancient Greek myth ofAtlas.Ocean Atlas was awarded a Guinness World Record for being the largest single figurative underwater sculpture in the world.[32]
Rising Tide, River Thames, London UK
The Rising Tide was Taylor's first tidal installation in Central London and was part of the 2015 Totally Thames Festival.[33] The series of working horses with riders, loosely based on theFour Horsemen of the Apocalypse, were positioned within sight of theHouses of Parliament. "I quite like the idea that the piece sits in the eye line of the place where many politicians and so many people who are involved inclimate change all work and make these damaging deals and policies, yet who are in this state of mad denial," Taylor said.[34] The artwork was intended to provide a metaphor for rising sea levels, demonstrating how little time there is to act to climate change, yet crucially it offers hope as it resets itself each day, offering humankind the opportunity for change.
Crossing the Rubicon at Museo Atlántico, Spain
After relocating toLanzarote, Spain in 2016, Taylor began work on his second underwater museum,Museo Atlántico, 1,000 ft (300 m) offshore.[35] The museum opened on 10 January 2017 within Lanzarote'sUNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and was first underwater museum within Europe and in the Atlantic Ocean.[36]Museo Atlántico contains over 300 of Taylor's sculptures and includesCrossingThe Rubicon, which consists of a 4 meters high wall that stretches 30 metre long and 35 life-sized figurative sculptures walking towards it, all unaware that they are heading to a point of no return while they are looking down or at their phones. The wall acts as a reminder that our surrounding oceans, air, climate or wildlife cannot be segregated.The Raft of Lampedusa, a sculpted boat carrying 13 refugees towards an unknown future, is also part ofMuseo Atlántico.[37] The inspiration for this piece came fromThéodore Géricault’sRaft of the Medusa.[38] Amongst the figures life-cast by Taylor forThe Raft of Lampedusa was Abdel Kader, a refugee fromLaayoune, who made his own journey by boat to Lanzarote when he was 13 years old. Another large artwork found within the museum isThe Human Gyre, which was created by placing over 200 life-size human figures into the shape of anoceanic gyre. The piece is aimed to highlight mankind's vulnerability to the ocean's inherent power.Museo Atlántico is accessible to scuba divers and snorkelers who are accompanied by museum guides.[39]
In 2017, Taylor traveled toIndonesia and installed his artwork,Nest, off the cost ofGili Meno.[40] The circle of 48 life-size figures was commissioned byBASK to act as an artificial reef and diving attraction for tourists and the local community.[41] During the same year, Taylor started designing an underwater museum for theAustralian Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) project, which would be installed within the Great Barrier Reef.[42]
Nexus, Norway
In 2018, Taylor went from the tropical climate of Sirru Fen Fushi in theMaldives to the icy fjords inNorway. Commissioned by the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi Resort,Coralarium was the world's first semi-submerged museum.[43] The 6 metre high stainless steel gallery cube weighs over 180 tonnes and was constructed in the UK and assembled on site.[44] The tidal artwork was part of the first coral regeneration project to take place in the Maldives. Following the removal and destruction of the 30 figurative sculptures in September 2018, which was ordered by President Abdulla Yameen, alternative artworks were integrated into the gallery and further sustainable initiatives have since been introduced. The Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi Resort has been recognised as a Green Globe certified organisation and continues to work with Taylor.[45]
Later the same year, Taylor completedNexus for theSjøholmen Children’s Art Centre inSandvika, Norway. The aim of the art installation is to encourage exploration of art and nature, especially the diverse marine life found in the surrounding fjords. There are life-sized bronze sculptures of a father and daughter standing hand-in-hand on a floating dock, looking down into the fjord where ten additional figurative sculptures can be seen floating below the water's surface.[46]
Cannes Underwater Museum, France
In December 2019, Taylor completed two significant artwork installations for theGreat Barrier Reef.[47]Ocean Siren, a tidal sculpture located at the Strand Jetty inTownsville, was commissioned by MOUA and acts as a warning beacon for climate change. The artwork was modelled on a local 12-year-old indigenousWulgurukaba girl, Takoda Johnson. Through collaborations with scientists from Reef Ecologic,James Cook University and theAustralian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)Ocean Siren reacts to data captured by the Davies Reef Weather Station and changes colour in response to live variations in water temperature.[48][49] Taylor's third underwater museum,The Coral Greenhouse located inJohn Brewer Reef, comprises a 58-ton greenhouse-like structure made from marine grade stainless steel and 20 figurative sculptures placed in and around the building.The Coral Greenhouse is the first underwater museum in Australia and in the Southern Hemisphere.[50]
In 2021, Taylor continued to support theeco-art movement[51] and completed two projects based in Europe. The first installation, which is the first underwater museum in theMediterranean Sea, was theCannes Underwater Eco-Museum (Écomusée sous-marin)[52] nearÎle Sainte-Marguerite just off the coast ofCannes, France and has been included in the world's 100 greatest places of 2021 byTime Magazine.[53] Before the museum could be installed, the site had to be cleared of disused marine infrastructure debris and officially cordoned off to protect visitors as well as the six large sculptures and surroundingposidonia sea grass meadows.[54] The artworks are positioned 3 – 4 metres below the water's surface near the shoreline, making the museum easily accessible to snorkelers and free divers. Taylor's split mask design concept not only links to the area's history of being where theMan in the Iron Mask was imprisoned[55] and Cannes hosting the annualCannes Film Festival, but it is also a metaphor for the ocean – one side of the mask depicts strength and resilience and the other fragility and decay.[56]
Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa, Cyprus
The second artwork installation in 2021 was theMuseum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa (MUSAN) situated within aMarine Protected Area (MPA) off the coast ofAyia Napa, Cyprus to aid in the development ofbiodiversity in the area.[57] The museum is a joint collaboration between the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, the Ayia Napa municipality and the Ministry of Tourism.[58] As the ambassador for the Ayia Napa MPA, the museum is a space for education, preservation and conservation. MUSAN's metaphorical entrance is marked by two figurative land sculptures – Irineos and Calypso – who are the children pledging to help protect the sea. Once submerged, visitors can view the remaining 93 artworks, which are situated 8 – 10 metres below the water's surface in a ravine of sand located in between natural rock formations.[59]
Eight hybrid sculptures collectively titledTheOcean Sentinels were added to John Brewer Reef in 2023 as the third sculpture installation forMuseum of Underwater Art, Australia to increase climate change awareness, supporteco-tourism, and provide homage to themarine conservation techniques practiced by the indigenous population.[60]
In 2024, Taylor contributed 27 new sculptures to the expansion of his first major underwater installation, theMolinere Underwater Sculpture Park.[61] The new series,Coral Carnival, was successfully opened in October 2024.[62] Following on from the expansion project, the government of Grenada commissioned a new underwater museum for the coast ofCarriacou.[63] The installation,A World Adrift, has been delayed byHurricane Beryl, which caused total devastation.[64]
Taylor integrates contemporary art with the conservation of marine life. These underwater artificial coral reefs installations divert tourists away from natural coral reefs that are already suffering effects from marine pollution, global warming, hurricane damage and overfishing, thus providing the opportunity for the natural reefs’ rehabilitation.[65]
Working alongside marine biologists, Taylor uses resilient, stable and environmentally responsive materials. He integrates a coral promoting neutralpH cement and propagates damaged coral fragments found in the ocean into preset keys in his figures.[66] The structures also incorporate habitat spaces for marine life that will promote an increase in biomass of local ecosystems.[67]
The sculptures are positioned in precise locations on the sea bed to avoid contact from strong currents and tidal patterns and are installed at the correct time for coralspawning to maximize their potential influence to the oceanicecosystem.[23]
Art writer, Dr David De Russo, writes that "the sculptures are a living evolutionary exhibition as nature colonizes, and the sea and tidal movement deform their appearance developing a platform which will promote the re-generation of marine life. They are a means of conveying hope and environmental awareness."[68]
In 2016, Taylor producedPlasticide, a land-based artwork that depicts an idyllic family beach scene, which is interrupted by seagulls regurgitating plastic. Originally installed outside the National Theatre on London's Southbank,Greenpeace later used the 2.5 ton sculpture to block Coca-Cola's's UK headquarters in London as a call to action to address theirplastic pollution.[70]
In 2024, Taylor createdSirens of Sewage, a tidal artwork that portrays a small cross section of the localWhitstable, UK community - a cold water swimmer, school child, kite surfer, lifeboat volunteer and local fisherman - each who holds a profound connection to the sea and a shared resolve to combat water pollution.[71]
Damien Hirst was accused of plagiarism[72] due to the striking similarities between his show entitledTreasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable exhibited at the May 2017 Vince Biennale and Jason deCaires Taylor's underwater sculptures, which were first installed in 2006, and were also exhibited at the same Biennale.[73]
In September 2018, PresidentAbdulla Yameen ofthe Maldives ordered the removal and destruction of the 30 figurative sculptures included withinCoralarium as the country's religious leaders deemed the human-like figures to represent idols and were therefore a violation of Islamic beliefs.[74] “I was extremely shocked and heartbroken to learn that my sculptures have been destroyed by the Maldivian authorities, despite continued consultations and dialogue,” Taylor announced. “TheCoralarium was conceived to connect humans to the environment and a nurturing space for marine life to thrive.”[75]
2006:Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park named as one of National Geographic's Top 25 Wonders of the World, Grenada.[76]
2009: Created the largest collection of underwater sculpture in the world and the first Underwater Museum, Mexico (MUSA).[77]
2010: MUSA (Mexico) was voted by Forbes corporation as one of the world's most unusual places to visit.[78]
2010: Awarded the Global Aquatekture Visionary Award.
2011:Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park was described as one of the "Wonders of the World – Earth's Most Awesome Places" in a 2011 special edition of National Geographic Magazine.
2012: Awarded the Guinness World Record for the largest group of life-size statues underwater (The Silent Evolution).[79]
2014: Awarded the Foreign Policy Global Thinker award.[80]
2014: Presented with theAquarium of the Pacific's Award Of Excellence for Artistic Achievement & Ocean Conservation.[81]
2014: Appointed to the board of the Association of Life Casting International.[82]
2014: PublishedThe Underwater Museum (hardback book) withChronicle Books.[83]
2015: Honoured with the “Scroll” of the Friends of thePhillippe Cousteau Anchor Museum (Amigos del Museo de Anclas Philippe Cousteau), an award given annually on the anniversary of the death of Phillippe Cousteau in recognition of his magnificent contribution to the field of underwater art.[84]
^Scales, Helen (2014)."From Polyp to Rampart – The science of reef building and how art can inspire a sustainable future", in The Underwater Museum by Jason de Caires Taylor. San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC. pp. 25–26.ISBN978-1-4521-1887-1.
^Dowling, Danielle; Yeginsu, Ceylan; Mod, Craig; Pearson, Stephanie; Chung, Christine; Cerva, Gina Rae La; Gill, Nicholas; Chaudhary, Poras; Graham, Adam H. (9 January 2024)."52 Places to Go in 2024".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331. Retrieved11 January 2024.
