The Art of Diving: Underwater Masterpieces in Isla Mujeres

I received a link from a friend the other day with a simple message, “This renders me speechless.”

When this image popped up, I paused. Suddenly the frenetic energy imbuing my day shifted, and a door opened into that place of calm.  It’s that same sort of feeling I can access when floating in the warm clutch of tropical water, ears submerged, in silence, swathed in blue and green, nothing more.  Just calm.

Jason deCaires TayIor’s hauntingly beautiful underwater creations explore art and its interaction with environment.  His sculptures morph into artificial reefs as the bottom dwellers below become hosts to coral and creatures.

The underwater arena lends a sense of mystery.

Light shifts and shadows sweep over the people. The rhythms of the water and sea life create the illusion of movement and life.

These temporal pieces of art speak of evolution, adaptation, impermanence, sustainability and lost dreams.

Each installation tells a story and asks hard questions.  Taylor’s genius stands in his ability to enrapt his audience with beauty while enlightening it simultaneously. Beyond the lure of these magnificent marine galleries, messages of environmental awareness and taking action can also be shared.

At the Cancun Marine Park, Taylor has four  installations: La Jardinera de la Esperanza, Coleccionista de los Sueños, Hombre en Llamas and The Silent Evolution, which stands as his most ambitious piece so far with 400 life-size figures.

If you are not headed to Isla Mujeres or Grenada anytime soon, there are hundreds of images of Jason deCaires Taylor’s works on his site with insightful explanations of their meaning. So pause, travel underwater and find the calm.

All photos by Jason deClaires Taylor