Take a Look at the Canary Islands’ Incredible Underwater Museum

This underwater museum is a fascinating vision of ecology, the struggle of man and marine life rolled into one enormous exhibit.

Did you know there is an underwater museum located off the Canary Islands?

The artist, Jason deCaires Taylor showed his talents for underwater art when he unveiled his Cancun Underwater Museum in 2013, but what he’s created near the Canary Islands is simply amazing. If you’re looking for something special and unique in Europe, this is a site that’s more than worth your time to see and enjoy.

What Did Jason Offer in Cancun?

The exhibit he showed in Cancun was nearly 500 statues cast from local residents. You might think casting statues of cement would be harmful to the marine life and the ocean, but Taylor only uses marine-grade cement, sand, and micro-silica to build his creations. Many of the statues have colorful coral attached to them. The use of these materials creates a positive environmental impact by offering a place where coral can attach and build a reef in places where it wouldn’t be able to do so. More coral reefs for fish and undersea life give them more places to live and grow.

His Latest Creation

The latest underwater museum created by Jason was recently unveiled. The creation is called Museo Atlantico in Lanzarote. This area is located 78 miles off the coast of Morocco, in the Spanish Canary Islands. The attraction measures 26,909 square feet, and it’s the first underwater art museum in Europe. The exhibit is a permanent structure, also made of the materials used for the Cancun exhibit.

There are more than 300 pieces and 12 themed features that hint at various sociopolitical topics related to the depletion of natural resources. Jason deCaires Taylor gives us a look at the importance of conservation, especially in the oceans. This is the first time he has installed on such a large scale. There are many architectural elements to the work, including a 100-ton, 98-foot long wall.

The Practical Purpose of the Underwater Museum

We can enjoy the underwater artwork, especially if we put on a tank and go scuba diving off the Canary Islands. The work is impressive and pleasing; each message comes through loud and clear. While this is one of the goals Taylor has for his work, it has a more practical purpose as well. Over time, these sculptures evolve into artificial reefs allowing coral and other marine life to create a new home in the area.

Why Does Taylor Care About the Ocean?

It’s easy to see that Taylor incorporates his artwork, the materials used, and marine life together to create new reefs where there wouldn’t be any at all. He does this because he’s a conservationist, an avid scuba diver, and has a strong passion for preserving marine ecosystems. Using his sculptures, he’s not only preserving the systems in place, but he’s also creating new ones.

As each sculpture is lowered to the sea, Taylor grafts coral nubbins onto them to activate the growth of the reef system. These sculptures sit at depths between 15 and 30 feet in both the Canary Islands and Cancun locations.

A Timeless and Timely Project

The installation of Museo Atlantico of Lanzarote was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. This project took two years to complete, but it has already shown benefits to the local marine ecosystem. The first area, which was installed a few years ago, already has traffic of Angel Sharks, Barracuda, Sardines, Octopus, and Butterfly Stingrays. These fish are drawn to the reef that now resides in an area that would have remained a lifeless seabed if it weren’t for this underwater museum and the work of Jason deCaires Taylor.

What are Some of the Exhibits?

Before you dive down into a shark-infested area to see these amazing sculptures, you might want to know a little about them. Here are just a few of the exhibits that can be enjoyed at this underwater museum.

The Immortal

This exhibit shows a man lying on top of a pile of wood in the form of a traditional funeral pyre. The wood is actually concrete sticks, but the message of immortality and surviving the burning is the message.

Crossing The Rubicon

This is a massive exhibit in the underwater world. A group of 35 figures appears to walk toward a 98-foot long wall with a single door giving them a portal to freedom in the Atlantic Ocean. Anyone can see that it would be easy to swim upward to go over the wall or to walk to one of the ends to go around it, but these people choose the most absurd way. This is the point of the exhibit.

The Portal

A large mirror reflects the surface of the ocean as a human/animal hybrid gaze down into the large square with the constant moving reflection. This exhibit is part of an underwater botanical garden to portray water within water. The mirror is elevated on several cactus forms with small compartments made to attract animals that can squeeze into small spaces.

Deregulated

A serious sociopolitical message is at play here. We see several adults in business attire taking over a children’s playground while showing their arrogance. The message is that the corporate world doesn’t care about nature and caring for the environment, treating it as a disposable item.

The Human Gyre

This exhibit shows more than 200 life-size human figures forming a large circular formation. This formation is called a gyre, and the exhibit is to remind us that we come from marine life and we depend on the ocean for many things in our own lives. The goal is to create a complex reef formation