Something surreal is happening at the bottom of Cannes.
The British artist is an award-winning sculptor, environmentalist and professional underwater photographer.
Jason deCaires Taylor’s first installation in the Mediterranean at the Underwater Museum of Cannes promises a different diving experience with artistic and environmental dimensions. The opportunity to expand your mind, to educate yourself in fields outside your everyday life and to experience samples of worlds beyond your own in a safe and non-destructive way, makes the experience of diving at the Underwater Museum of Cannes a very tempting one.
MORE THAN 1,100 WORKS OF ART BY JASON DECAIRES TAYLOR CAN BE FOUND IN OCEANS AND SEAS AROUND THE WORLD.
The six monumental masks, each more than six meters high and weighing ten tones, are placed at a depth of two to three meters on the white sand of the seabed in the Sainte-Margueritte reserve. The British artist was inspired to use the theme of the mask from the history of the island, known as the place of imprisonment of the “Man with the Iron Mask”, which we all know from Alexandros Doumas’ novel of the same name, while the tear in the middle conveys a double message: one part depicts the strength and resilience and the other the fragility and decay of the oceans.
Taylor’s six works are based on portraits of members of the local community, from eighty-year-old fisherman Maurice to nine-year-old elementary school student Anouk. The site where the sculptures were placed was previously a dumping ground for human activity in the sea. Part of the project involved clearing away rubbish, such as old engines and pipes, to make room for the installation of the projects, which were designed with materials that attract marine flora and fauna. The area has been fenced off for possible passage of boats and is now safe for diving or underwater swimming, while anchors are prevented from injuring the seagrass beds.
