There’s an Underwater Museum in Spain with 300 Sculptures
If touring museums in Spain is on your travel itinerary this year, be sure to pack your wet suit and waterproof camera. You won’t need them while browsing Gaudí’s Casa Vicens, but those items (and some pretty strong swimming skills) will certainly come in handy if you plan on stopping by Museo Atlántico, a 300-sculpture installation located off the coast of Lanzarote, Spain beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.
The intentionally-sunken creations are the handiwork of British artist Jason Decaires Taylor, whose uniquely situated museum requires visitors to embark upon a deep-sea diving mission in order to admire the aquatic artwork.
After years of work, the first sculptures were finally placed on the ocean floor last February, some 45 feet under water. By the looks of things, Taylor took care to design his sea sculptures in a manner that mirrors the museum’s unconventional location. At the center of the display sits “Crossing the Rubicon,” which features 35 statues of humans that appear to be walking towards a walled structure.
Of the wall’s significance, Taylor says, “It emphasizes that the notions of ownership and territories are irrelevant to the natural world. in times of increasing patriotism and protectionism the wall aims to remind us that we cannot segregate our oceans, air, climate or wildlife as we do our land and possessions.”
Meanwhile, a sculpture known as “The Portal” functions as an artistic reef, its aim to attract oceanic creatures like octopus, sea urchins and fish.
Museo Atlántico also features an underwater children’s playground populated with businessmen in suits that serves a collective statement on the corporate world, along with the preservation of marine animals and fossil fuels.
h/t Curbed