Jason deCaires Taylor Builds Europe’s First Underwater Museum

A new museum is being built off of Spain’s Lanzarote island- underwater. It is the vision of artist Jason deCaires Taylor, previously featured on our blog, whose ghostly underwater figures have been exhibited in similar areas all over the world, including Grenada, the West Indies, Nassau, Bahamas, and Cancun, Mexico. Over 300 statues are being placed on the sea floor in Lanzarote’s Las Coloradas Bay, a UNESCO’s biosphere reserve, at depths of 12-15 meters where divers and snorkelers of all skill levels can view them. They are made using a special type of environmentally-friendly concrete that does not affect the marine ecosystem, but fosters coral life by attracting plants and animals and acting as a breeding site for local species. Taking up an area of 50×50 meters, some of the Lanzarote sculptures represent local residents and recreate scenes from their every day life there, sitting idly in front on their TV sets or taking selfies, photo-bombed by the fish swimming past. One massive piece, titled “The Rubicon”, features an eerie installation of 35 human figures “walking” beneath the waves. All are inspired by the “defense of the ocean”, says Taylor. The “Atlantic Museum” (Museo Atlantico) will be open to the public in 2017.