September 2, 2015

Signed by the Artist, Tagged by the Sea

Most art is destined for the walls of a gallery where it would be frowned upon (to say the least) if you, say, decided to add a few thoughtful sharpie marks to a painting or two. But this artist invites collaboration by installing his sculptures on the bottom of the ocean and letting the sea creatures have their way with them.

By Kalliopi Monoyios

*Man on Fire;* sclupture by Jason deCaires Taylor in the MUSA Collection, Isla Mujeres/Cancun, Mexico.

© Jason deCaires Taylor

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Yesterday we kicked off the September SciArt Blitz with Museo Atlántico, an underwater museum made of cast concrete figures and objects that will sit off the coast of the Canary Islands once completed, forming an artificial reef. The project is the latest underwater sculpture installation by artist Jason deCaires Taylor whose work dots the world’s oceans and makes powerful statements about politics, human activity, and climate change. Since Museo Atlántico is not completed yet, I promised to post an image of an older installation to show how the corals and algae take hold and continue to work on the sculptures long after Taylor’s hands have quit.

Jason deCaires Taylor's sculptures are submerged along shallow coastlines, attracting sea life and ultimately seeding a new shallow reef. This sculpture, titled Man on Fire, is off the coast of Cancun, Mexico. Image © Jason deCaires Taylor

You can find more of Jason deCaires Taylor’s work, including the progression of growth on sculptures visited at various intervals after their installation, at his website. Catch him also on Facebook and Twitter.

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Every September we here at Symbiartic take the opportunity to dish up a daily dose of sciart featuring all the incredible artists we haven’t been able to get to during the year. Curious to see the inspiring artists we’ve featured in the September SciArt Blitz over the years? Check out previous years’ galleries:

2014 | 2013 | 2012

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