Thursday, June 21, 2007

The sculpture park under the sea

They look a little like relics from an ancient civilisation, lost beneath the waves thousands of years ago. But the eerie underwater sculptures off the Caribbean island of Grenada are in fact the work of Jason Taylor, a British artist.

The works were made using wire, steel and concrete before being anchored to the seabed. "The sculptures will be an ever changing exhibition as nature colonises the surface, and the sea and tidal movement shapes the texture," said Taylor, 33.



The Underwater Sculpture Gallery which depicts Grenadian people and their history, is spread around the island's Moliniere Bay.

"The aim of the sculpture park is to create a unique space which highlights environmental processes and celebrates local culture," said Taylor, who graduated from Camberwell College of Arts, London, and is a qualified diving instructor.



"This unique project will provide an unparalleled opportunity to explore a dynamic seascape and to appreciate the island's beauty and diversity.

"It creates a whole new perspective on the world," he said. "Objects appear 25 per cent larger and closer, colours are changed as light is absorbed differently by the water."



One of the most unusual sculptures is The Lost Correspondent, which sits 23ft below the surface. It consists of a figure at a desk with a typewriter and documents the rapid change in communications. About 16ft down, another work, Vicissitudes, uses 30 life-size moulds taken of children aged between 10 and 14. It symbolises the cycle of life.

Another piece, the 4ft sculpture of Sienna, based on a character from a short story by Jacob Ross, a Grenadian author, is designed to allow currents to pass through it, providing a structure for filter feeding organisms to colonise.

1 comment:

Stoned Lizard said...

Wow, this is creepy, but awesome also!