Animated statues at the bottom of the Atlantic. Underwater sculpture park in the Caribbean

There are many beautiful and unusual places in our world. Attractions that are known to the whole world, sunken ships, lost cities and civilization. But every day it is more and more difficult to surprise tourists, and therefore one very talented and extraordinary sculptor decided to create the first underwater sculpture park.

The idea of creating underwater parks

Creation idea underwater park came up with Jason deCaires Taylor. This is a resident of Mexico who creates sculptures and immerses them in sea depths. If you do not look closely, it seems that these are just the remains of sculptures from sunken ships, antique figurines, but in fact these are modern sculptures of people who are busy with their daily activities. Jason, in addition to architecture, is an underwater photographer and diving instructor. He is passionate about the idea of interaction between an object and its environment.

First creative steps

His first work was the opening of an underwater sculpture park in the depths of Molenye Bay, in the Caribbean Sea.

This park was opened in 2006, and there are more than 68 sculptures, at different depths from two to eight meters.

The idea of this place is to reveal the trends of contemporary art, namely harmony with nature.

Some of the exhibits of this park can be seen through the water surface, but visitors will be able to find out what is even deeper only after being fully equipped in a special suit.

Silent Evolution Project

The project is called Silent Evolution. This is the latest and most colorful project. The sculptor creates sculptures with the help of special materials, on which marine inhabitants settle down over time. In total, there are 200 exhibits in the park, there are children and old people, modern sculptures and copies of ancient monuments.

The park is being created near one of the favorite vacation spots for tourists, not far from Cancun. The idea of creating a park is aimed at attracting even more tourists. The government also wants to save the coral reefs, which are gradually dying out due to curious divers. And the last, not unimportant goal of the project is the preservation and revival of the ecosystem of the reservoir. After all, not everyone is used to only admiring the beauty, but also touching, taking a piece as a keepsake.

It was in this underwater park that Jason de Caires Taylor wanted to show how our world has changed, from the era of the mysterious Mayans to an ultra-modern society that can take off into space.

This is not the first idea of the architect, there are already five such underwater parks in the world, each of which has its own idea and purpose.

The most famous underwater statues

Such underwater parks are found not only in Mexico and nearby regions. For all the time of the existence of the world, the depths of the sea have taken with them many ships and "sunken civilizations". Therefore, this beauty can be observed as in the waters caribbean, and near Egypt, Italy and other corners. There is an unspoken list of the most beautiful sculptural compositions.

The main composition of the underwater park in Mexico has the same name, that is, "Silent Evolution". It consists of 400 figures, all of which are life-sized.
“Man on Fire”, this name appeared due to the fact that the composition was overgrown with red corals. Holes were specially made for the corals to grow.
The composition "ElColeccionistadeSuenos" depicts a man with a dog, who carefully guard the bottles with messages to their heirs. These notes are written in different languages of the world.
Statues of Heraklion and Kanoba, near Egypt. This place was considered the entrance to Egypt.
Statue of Jesus Christ Abyssal, located in the region of Italy. The image of Jesus Christ was made and submerged under water in 1954. The height of the sculpture is 2.5 meters. After this statue was raised several times for restoration. You can see Jesus at a depth of 6 meters.
Statues from the ruins of Cleopatra's palace in Alexandria (Egypt). The flood occurred about 1500 years ago, on this moment it is one of the most popular tourist routes. There is something to admire here, all kinds of animal sculptures, sculptures of ancient gods, fragments of dishes, vessels, columns and other archaeological values.
Another work by Jason de Caires Taylor called "The Vicissitudes of Fate" is also included in the list of the most beautiful underwater sculptures. This sculptural composition consists of several figures of people who hold hands and form a circle. This sculpture is dedicated to the dead slaves while transporting them along the rivers.
The same list includes the sculpture of Bailly, resting in Gulf of Naples. These sculptures fell into the depths of the sea due to volcanic activity.
Underwater sculptures, Bali island. This project is very similar to the one in Gulf of Mexico, as it adheres to the goal of conserving coral reefs.
Gnome Park, UK. This is the strangest underwater park in existence. It was created for divers, but after a tragic accident, the gnomes were removed, and 15 years later they were returned back. The sculptures are now at a depth of 50 meters.

All the projects of this talented sculptor are aimed at the fact that after several decades there will be no trace of the park, but marine inhabitants, fish, crabs, mollusks will settle down well in this place, which these sculptures will transform into an artificial reef. Jason deCaires Taylor looks to the future with a "sober" look. Thus, through art, he tries to fight the negative influence of man on environment. After all, according to the calculations of many scientists, in the next 40-50 years, we may lose most what nature has given us.

Continuing the search interesting events, which are actively discussed on the Internet, we found unusual photographs of the work of the sculptor Jason Taylor. His works are unique not by their creation, but primarily by their location. Back in 2006, Jason opened the first exhibition of an underwater sculpture park, placing his creations in the depths of the Caribbean Sea. And in 2010, not far from the resort in Mexico - Cancun, he created the world's largest underwater park - a museum of sculptures. Despite the fact that the news is two years old, Jason Taylor's work continues to be actively discussed. In this article, we tried to select the most memorable photographs of underwater sculptures in order to convey all the beauty and grandeur, and to recall how it was.

By placing his sculptures at the bottom of the sea, Jason was able to attract many drivers and ordinary tourists to the shores of the Caribbean.

In his work, the author tried to combine contemporary art with the beauty and grandeur of the underwater world.
Sculptures were created from special concrete with many holes and steel wire. Thus, stone sculptures become with time natural environment habitats for marine inhabitants, and their surface is covered with corals and shells, which has a beneficial effect on the ecological environment of the underwater world.

The sculpture "Archive of Unfulfilled Hopes" - symbolizes the collection of all the events taking place in the world. Dozens of bottles of notes from people from all over the world are placed on concrete shelves. It is assumed that the collection of notes and messages will be replenished.

The sculpture "Man on Fire" contains 75 different holes, from which bright multi-colored corals grow, symbolizing blood.

The sculpture "Gardener of Hope" depicts a young girl in the garden.

On the one hand, the works reflect the ecological processes of the marine aquatic environment, on the other hand, they illustrate the complex relationship between contemporary art and the surrounding underwater flora and fauna. The author makes it clear that nothing lasts forever in this world. The sculptures will eventually collapse and coral reefs will appear in their place.

"Silent Evolution" is a composition of 400 life-sized sculptures of people.
Water significantly distorts perception, and therefore the figures of the statues seem to be twenty-five percent larger and closer than they really are. The sculpture park is located in shallow water, the depth does not exceed 10 m, and therefore you can admire the artist’s works even from a glass bottom boat or diving with a scuba or a regular mask and snorkel.
In total, more than 400 sculptures have already been installed here.

Models for underwater sculptures are ordinary locals Grenada.

Portraits of people, in the likeness of which the statues were made.

Sculpture making process.

Sculpture "Quiet Evolution" on the shore before diving.

Lowering figures to the bottom.

In the world there is, one might say, a whole movement to place statues under water. You won’t surprise anyone with ordinary statues today. The oldest statue of Christ under water is not in Malta, but in Italy - the statue of "Christ from the Abyss" has been standing under the waters of San Fruttuoso Bay since 1954. The statue of Christ in Malta, although not so old, is not inferior to its predecessor in popularity. In addition, it is located next to the sunken ship of Jacques-Yves Cousteau - Calypso.

But first things first. Let's start with the Italian statue of Christ from the Abyss. She, as already mentioned, was created in 1954 and is located under water in the bay of San Fruttuoso, not far from Genoa. The height of the statue is relatively small - only 2.5 meters. It is under water, at a depth of 17 meters.

The idea to put the statue in such unusual place came to the mind of the diver Duilio Marcante during underwater meditation. The choice of the place was due to the fact that it was here in 1947 that the first Italian scuba diver Dario Gonzatti met his death.

The sculptor Guido Galletti took up work on the statue of Christ, it was decided to make it in bronze. With all his appearance, the Savior is directed upwards to heaven.

This place attracts many divers, because the visibility in the bay is excellent. But time takes its toll and in 2003 the statue had to be taken out for restoration. It was cleaned of algae and returned the lost arm, which the statue lost as a result of an unsuccessful release of the anchor. Today, the statue again stands in its original place and continues to attract many divers to these places.

An interesting fact: there are several more copies of the statue of Christ from the Abyss in the world. One in the southeast of the Caribbean, on the coast near the capital of Grenada. At first, the sculpture was also placed under water, but later, it was installed on the embankment of the city of St. George's.

There is another statue in Florida, in the area of the underwater coral reef Dry Rocks.

Malta, in this case, distinguished itself by originality. The statue of Christ in Malta is also under water, but differs in appearance. The Maltese call her Kristu L-Bahhar. The statue was made in 1990 by sculptor Alfred Camilleri Cauchi in honor of Pope John Paul II's visit to the island. She was off the St. Paul Islands at a depth of 38 meters. Until 2000, due to the development of fish farms, underwater visibility deteriorated significantly and this prevented divers from visiting the statue of Christ. Therefore, it was decided to move it closer to the surface. Today, a 13-ton concrete sculpture is located at a depth of only 10 meters.

Near the statue of Christ under water, there are other interesting objects for divers: the old Malta-Gozo ferry (formerly the Imperial Eagle ship) and Calypso, the first scientific vessel of the famous Jacques Yves Cousteau.

Color photo.

Cactus

The project began with two sculptures: The Raft of Lampedusa and The Rubicon. The first is dedicated to migrants and refugees who died in different years at Italian island Lampedusa in the Mediterranean. The second - a group of people walking together in an unknown direction, shows the point of no return, to which modern society has reached. Other sculptures are also not without meaning and suggestive.

Boat of Lampedusa

Rubicon

The sculptures are installed at a depth of 15 meters and will be available for divers and snorkelers. Part of the exposition can still be seen on land. The underwater museum, called "Antlantico", is located off the coast Spanish island Lanzarote ( Canary Islands) and will open on February 25. But it will be fully completed by the end of 2016.

Anthropocene

Banker

Inertia

Photographers

re-education

resurrection

The inhabitants of the island reacted to the opening of the museum in different ways. Some consider spending on a museum unreasonable. Others - that the idea of underwater sculptures will attract tourists to the island, and the project itself seems pretty to them. Many doubt the environmental friendliness of concrete statues at the bottom of the ocean.

man on fire

self-immolation

silent evolution

Taylor himself says that the sculptures not only do not harm the ecosystem, but also support the life of sea creatures. According to his idea, underwater statues should be enjoyed sea plants and animals and promote the reproduction of organisms. Two percent of the profit that the museum will receive, the author of the project promised to give to scientific research.

Anchors

Collector of desires

Gardener

shimmering woman

Listener

The working process

It's not about tourists or diving. Rather, I even wanted to distract divers from coral reefs and switch their attention to artificial objects underwater. Each sculpture has its own idea, and their common goal is to show that we must minimize the human impact on the fragile underwater world.

Christ from the Abyss (Italy) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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In the bay of the ancient abbey of San Fruttuoso in the suburbs of Genoa, at a depth of 17 meters under water, divers and scuba divers are met by a statue of the Savior " Christ from the abyss» (Il Cristo degli Abissi). Amazing transparency of the waters Italian Riviera, as well as the unusualness of the very idea of \u200b\u200bunderwater sculpture, make this place very popular among tourists from Genoa, although you can only get to the abbey itself on foot or by boat.

The statue "Christ from the Abyss" was made by the sculptor Guido Galleti in 1954 according to the plan of the diver Duilio Marchante, who decided in this way to perpetuate the memory of his friend Dario Gonzatti, the first dead Italian scuba diver. The tragedy occurred just in the bay of San Fruttuoso in 1947.

"Christ from the Abyss" is a 2.5 meter high statue with its arms raised to the sky and its face turned upwards. The Savior seems to turn to the Lord through the water column, asking for mercy and protection for all the people of the sea - fishermen, sailors, divers.

For 50 years of being under water, the statue has become fairly overgrown with algae, and also lost part of its arm from a carelessly thrown anchor. In 2003, it was removed and restored, and in 2004 it was loaded back into its original place, but on a new pedestal.

Statue "Christ from the Abyss"

In the world there are two copies of the original statue of "Christ from the Abyss" with the same name.

One of them was installed on the island of Grenada at the entrance to the harbor, although originally it also rested in the bowels of the water. This "Christ from the Abyss" was donated by the Genoese sailors for the help of Grenada in rescuing passengers from the ship "Bianca C" that sank in the port of St. George's in 1961.

The second non-original "Christ from the Abyss" is installed in the waters of Florida at a depth of eight meters, not far from underwater reef Dry Rocks. It was presented by Italian scuba divers to their American colleagues in 1962.

Address: San Fruttuoso, Genova