Ocean Atlas: underwater sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor

Artist Jason deCaires Taylor has installed “Ocean Atlas,” a Bahamian girl concrete sculpture, off the western coastline of New Providence in Nassau, Bahamas. The sculpture depicts a girl mimicking Atlas, who held up the celestial spheres in Greek mythology. But instead of sphere, she holds up the ocean.

What a brilliant idea… and an Amazing Artwork!

Enjoy!

Taylor is the artist behind several sculpture installations in the ocean around the world, creating awesome underwater parks. His sculptures are made with pH-neutral concrete, which reduces any toxin release and encourages coral growth and sea life to flourish. The “Ocean Atlas” is his latest artwork and considered as the largest underwater sculpture ever, about the height of a 2-story building (18-feet) and weighs over 60 tons. The work was commissioned by Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (B.R.E.E.F) to honor its founder, Sir Nicholas Nuttal.

The artist’s statement:

“Jason deCaires Taylor is an internationally acclaimed sculptor who creates underwater living installations, offering viewers mysterious, ephemeral encounters and fleeting glimmers of another world where art develops from the effects of nature on the efforts of man. His site-specific, permanent works are designed to act as artificial reefs, attracting corals, increasing marine biomass and aggregating fish species, while crucially diverting tourists away from fragile natural reefs and thus providing space for natural rejuvenation. Subject to the abstract metamorphosis of the underwater environment, his works symbolize a striking symbiosis between man and nature, balancing messages of hope and loss.”

All images courtesy of Jason deCaires Taylor, and are published with permission.

To see more of his work, please visit his:  Website  |  Facebook