Artist Jason deCaires Taylor has opened his latest mer-mazing sculpture project — an underwater museum off the coast of party hotspot Ayia Napa in Cyprus.
Are you a lover of exploring the world beneath the waves?
Well, next time you’re over in Europe, be sure to make your way to Cyprus to immerse yourself in Jason deCaires Taylor’s new Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa (Musan).
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor, whose mission is to ‘transforming the inert into the living’, is making waves in the world of art once more, this time with a stunning underwater forest, 200 metres (656ft) off the coast of Pernera Beach.
Titled Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa (Musan), this wondrous expression is bringing 93 sculptures to life on the seafloor between eight and 10 metres (26 to 33ft) below the surface.
The artworks, which were installed using a crane, represent the relationship between humans and nature, and will perhaps inspire those who visit to become more conscious and connected to the natural world.
The artist describes the sculptures as ‘active catalysts’ in nurturing aquatic life and reefs.
According to the Museum’s launch statement, ‘The sculptures have been designed and made with materials that attract marine life, and are placed at different depths, thus creating a suitable substrate for marine life at all levels.
‘The sculptures are made of inert materials, with neutral pH, so as not to affect the area adversely. It’s a sandy area and it is expected that over time the biodiversity of the area will be enriched, thanks to the museum.’
This means that Musan will become an evolving and growing underwater forest; supporting the marine ecosystem.
The exhibition, being dubbed by Ayia Napa’s Mayor, Christos Zannettou, as an “underwater oasis”, was created with a budget of £846,685 ($1.6 million) and opened last month.
This isn’t the first underwater museum that the Brit has created, and we hope it won’t be the last.
His museums feature striking sculpture collections, which turn into living aquatic gardens and have been installed in France, Mexico, Grenada, the Bahamas, Lanzarote, Norway, Australia, and the Maldives.
Would you like to channel your inner merperson and check it out?
Click here for more information.