Have you heard of those objects found under the sea, which seem to be man-made. You know, hints of Atlantis an Ancient Aliens and all that? Well, just think what kind of a loop these sculptures by Jason Decaires Taylor, located at the Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA), will throw future humans for. That is, if all records of this underwater art museum just off the coast of Cancun, Mexico, are lost.
Courtesy Of Jason Decaires Taylor
These three new works, ‘The last Supper’ and ‘The Listener’ and ‘The Phoenix’ are each unique of the others stylistically and formally. Each says something different yet related about themselves and the environment which they occupy.
Courtesy Of Jason Decaires Taylor
‘The Last Supper’ is a stone table, carved and set upon an uneven stone below the water. Table settings of permanently set silverware and a fruit bowl featuring hand grenades adorn the surface. The artist notes, ‘… the work aims to illustrate the serious problem the world’s oceans are facing due to overfishing. the UN has claimed that three quarters of the worlds fisheries are severely stressed and if nothing is done to reverse the trend, we could see a worldwide collapse in 50 years with several species facing extinction…‘
‘The Listener’ is a human figure created by hundreds of casts of human ears, done in cooperation with marine biologist Heather Spence and her class of 8-12 year old students. Hidden with the form is a hydrophone which constantly records the sounds which really fill an coral seascape. Remember, sound moves 4 times faster through water.
Courtesy Of Jason Decaires Taylor
And finally to ‘The Phoenix’. This is the first kinetic sculpture to be located at MUSA. A quite beautiful female form seems to reach for the surface 4 meters above. Fixed to her back with tensile stainless steel fasteners, are two wings of Gorgonian Fan coral which flap with the shifting water currents as if by an underwater breeze.
