The Underwater Sculptures of artist Jason DeCaires…

The figures emerge out of the gloomy depths. They are beautiful, sombre, spooky and captivating. The first installation we see is ‘Vicissitudes’ a ring of figures standing face out, hands open and extended as if linked arm in arm in a protective, defiant stance.

Within a National Marine Park, Molinere Bay in Grenada has been carefully chosen and the sculptures dwell in clear, blue, deep water between 3 and 12m from the surface.  Artist Jason DeCaires had obviously used real models to mold the concrete forms and the detail is unnerving; especially as the algae, barnacles and weathering of fathoms of salt water has created an on-going process of aging and change in the faces and bodies of these mesmerising figures.  A second circle of figures looks to be older than the first and the detail has degraded further as the sea transforms and new, gnarled, barnacle-covered forms emerge. A few of the figures in the second circle have collapsed and now lie nestled into the seabed. It is strangely confronting.

As we snorkel, we silently witness the sea’s measured and creeping take over of these beautiful objects. New and interesting forms have emerged over time and the objects themselves, in turn, manipulate the seascape as they form artificial reefs and attract a myriad of marine life.   

In one area, there were female figures strewn around the seabed in lying positions. They were haunting- we felt like we were disturbing the graves of the sleeping dead. Fish swam by and the silence and heaviness of the water added to the eerie feeling of disturbing the displaced dearly departed.

Below; ‘The Lost Correspondent’ references Granada’s Cuban alignment before the revolution. Quirky and absorbing- we loved just hanging out with this guy.

Below left: The Unstill Life;  A classic art world cliché stands on the seabed and endures the slow, transient process of being claimed by the sea…

Below left: The archangel was deeper than the other sculptures and seemed to be calling us into the murky depths with outstretched hands and an ominous presence… A night dive with these babies would give you goosebumps I reckon! Understandably, The National Geographic has declared this underwater sculpture park as one of the top 25 wonders of the world.  

Below: Preying Woman. 

I loved this work and the ingenuity of the whole installation. The artist has beautifully illustrated a connection between art and the environment, sculpture and living, breathing reefs. As the ocean currents erode and morph the figures, the figures too alter the seascape, effect the movement of the sands, form a home for marine life and meld into their environment. 

Next Post: Chocolate, waterfalls, revolutionaries and shoot flyin’ in Granada!