The vast ocean is a witness to numerous mysteries of human history, as its depths are home to spectacular reefs surrounded by fascinating marine life. To add to it, Europe’s first ever underwater museum, near Spain’s Lanzarote island, will become a destination under the ocean, with alluring structures.
The Atlantic Museum, based 15 metres below the water on the sea floor of the Las Coloradas bay, has installed sculptures created by international artist Jason deCaires Taylor, inspired by “the defense of the ocean”, CNN reports.
The sculptures, accessible only to divers and marine life, will portray scenes from everyday life, from a couple clicking a selfie titled “Content” to 35 figures walking beneath the water. The statues are made from environment-friendly concrete.
The installations also feature haunting images like the “Raft of Lampedusa”, which shows a raft carrying 13 refugees, as Taylor has extraordinary plans like installing an underwater fountain, lighting and a mirror that will reflect a pool in the sea.
About the Raft of Lampedusa, Taylor said, “Wherever you put it, this is a powerful sculpture, it’s a disturbing image of the world we’re creating.”
Taylor’s journey of installing sculptures beneath the water begin in 2006, in Grenada, where a ring of sculpted schoolchildren titled Vicissitudes,was placed on the edge of the ocean and helped create a protected marine park, listed among National Geographic’s 25 wonders of the world, as reported by The Guardian.
Not only will the museum add to the beauty of the picturesque ocean floor, it will also act as an artificial reef, which will be a breeding site for local marine life forms.