Sculptor Jason de Caires Taylor, credited with creating the world’s first underwater sculpture park and currently spearheading an ambitious project in Mexico to install over 400 permanent sculptures at the Cancun Marine Park has Guyanese origins.
In 2009, the first steps of the monumental underwater sculptural museum were formed in the waters surrounding Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc. The first 100 sculptures for the first installation of the project dubbed, ‘The Silent Evolution,’ is nearing completion. Taylor’s absorbing and unique works have won him international acclaim and the Mexico project has been singled out as a masterpiece. He previously won rave reviews for his work on the first underwater sculpture park in Grenada in 2006, which, like the current project, was designed to create artificial reefs using sculptures.
Taylor’s website explains that his underwater sculptures highlight ecological processes while exploring the intricate relationships between modern art and the environment. By using sculptures to create artificial reefs, his interventions promote hope and recovery, and underline the need for people to understand and protect the natural world.
The aim of Taylor’s work is to address a wide-ranging audience, which is crucial for highlighting environmental issues beyond the confines of the art world, according to his site. As time passes and the works change, they reshape and redefine the underwater landscape in unpredictable ways. The sculptures are sited in clear, shallow waters to afford easy access by divers, snorkellers and those in glass-bottomed boats.
For the Mexico project, life-size figurative casts taken from various members of the local 
community are planned to form a monumental artificial reef, aiming to draw both visitors and marine life to an uninhabited area of the national marine park. The first installation of 200 sculptures is scheduled for deployment in June, with the remainder of the 400 by the end of the year.
Each of the sculptures will be made from specialised materials used to promote coral life, with the total installation occupying an area of over 150 sq metres and weighing over 120 tons. Working alongside creator de Caires Taylor will be a team of artists, builders, marine biologists, engineers and scuba divers to complete the various parts of the installation.
de Caires Taylor, who was born to an English father and Guyanese mother, spent the earlier part of his life growing up in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. He is currently resident in Mexico as Artistic Director of the new Cancun Underwater Museum.
