Underwater Museum in Mexico Offers Hope for Natural Coral Reefs

By Michele Berger
Contributor, 糖心传媒 magazine
Published April 06, 2010

by Jason deCaires Taylor
      
Cancun鈥檚 got a . But to view its installations, you鈥檒l have to snorkel, dive, or ride a glass-bottomed boat. That鈥檚 because the museum is on the ocean bottom near Mexico鈥檚 National Marine Park of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc. Apparently, underwater is the new place to be. (Remember the below-the-surface meeting the Maldives government held last October to make a statement about climate change?)
 
During the latter part of 2009 and much of 2010, artist will cover this seabed with

by Jason deCaires Taylor
hundreds of life-size statues, art that Taylor and his partners from the National Marine Park and the Cancun Nautical Association hope will eventually form a reef structure for marine life to colonize.
 
Taylor plans to make each piece from cement, sand, micro silica and fiber glass鈥攁 combo said to promote coral life鈥攁nd place the installation over 1,600 square feet (about 150 square meters). An area so large will intentionally draw the more than 750,000 annual visitors away from the Marine Park鈥檚 heavily strained natural reefs, giving them a chance to
survive and regenerate.
 
The installation鈥檚 inauguration happened last November when three of Taylor鈥檚 pieces hit ocean bottom: (La Jardinera de la Esperanza), (Coleccionista de los Suenos), and (Hombre en Llamas). Phase two is happening now, with an exhibition Taylor calls

by Jason deCaires Taylor
, a set of sculptures cast from real people from local and international communities. The last of the three-parter includes commissioning artists from all over the world to contribute installations and host events.
 
For Taylor, it鈥檚 about recognizing the importance of nature. 鈥淲ith the advance of technology and the built environment, we seem to have lost our intrinsic link to nature,鈥 he writes in the installation description. 鈥淭he manifestation of living organisms cohabitating and ingrained in our being is intended to remind us of our close dependency on nature and the respect we should afford it.鈥