Jason deCaires Taylor does something very special: he creates site-specific sculptures and installations under water that slowly become part of their natural environment, functioning as coral reefs. The newest addition to his subaqueous world is an underwater museum in the Atlantic off the coast of the island Lanzarote. One of the installations, The Raft of Lampedusa, refers to the current global crises in which desperate and displaced people take that giant step into the unknown, often paying the highest price. Looking at these statues, frozen in time as if they have been bewitched by an angry underwater god, perpetually punished for wanting a better life, I am reminded of those captured by merciless lava in Pompeii.
All photographs © underwatersculpture.com
Song for today: Smoke City – Underwater Love
