British artist Jason deCaires Taylor has designed 93 sculptures for the first ever underwater museum in the Mediterranean.
The new underwater museum, ideal for divers and snorkelers, was opened off the coast of Ayia Napa in Cyprus.
Jason, 47, originally from Dover, previously created the world’s first underwater sculpture park and museum at the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park in the Caribbean in 2006.
Several years ago, he designed Museo Atlantico, the first underwater art museum in Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, situated within Lanzarote’s UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in the Spanish Canary Islands.
One of his most ambitious projects was the creation of the world’s largest underwater sculpture museum, the Cancun Underwater Museum, situated off the Mexican coast.
The new Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa in Cyprus features 93 works inspired by man and nature, and featuring numerous themes from Ancient Greek mythology.
In an exclusive interview, the British artist told Newsflash: “I think it has lots of messages built within it, obviously, it’s about the environment, and certainly it’s about creating a complex habitat space under the water.
“It’s about taking some of the values that we assign to some of the forests we have on land, as they’re sort of centres for biodiversity, and trying to replicate that underwater.
“Within that installation, there are lots of different narratives and lots of little stories. But mostly, I think it’s a message of hope and about human intervention sometimes being positive.”
When asked how the Cyprus project differed to previous works, Jason told Newsflash: “It was certainly very challenging. It’s the first time I’ve ever built trees and sculptures that go from the sea floor to the surface of the sea. So that has been quite a challenge, the first time I really made floating sculptures.
“They go from the sea floor up to the surface so snorkelers can also appreciate them. And they’re also designed so that they aggregate fish at different levels of the water column. It was also incredibly challenging because it was done during a pandemic. We were in full construction in Cyprus in March last year when the pandemic hit.”
Jason said an “international crew” of around 15 people helped to complete the underwater art project.
He added: “We have staff from Mexico, Spain, Bangladesh, and the UK, and as I’ve done projects around the world, I keep in contact with some of the best staff members and we meet up to do the construction. And you know, during the pandemic, that was really, really tough.
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor, provided 93 statues for MUSAN, whose opening took place with a ceremony on 31st July, at Pernera beach in Ayia Napa, Cyprus. 
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor, provided 93 statues for MUSAN, whose opening took place with a ceremony on 31st July, at Pernera beach in Ayia Napa, Cyprus.
“One of the major things is, the Mediterranean has lost a huge amount of marine life, overfishing has been so predominant in all of the Mediterranean that a lot of protected areas, a lot of habitats, are really missing fish stock.
“That was quite a motivation, and I wanted to create a sanctuary for marine life. And also the waters of Cyprus were very exciting because the conditions are very good, the extremely warm water, it’s extremely clear, but it also has a really rich maritime history.
“You know, there are lots of archaeological artefacts in the water surrounding Cyprus so it has a very rich history to draw from.”
With regards to upcoming projects, Jason told Newsflash: “I’m still working on a project in Australia, for when I can travel there. I’m hoping to install that by the end of the year. And then I’m also looking at some quite ambitious projects in the Middle East.”
He added: “This particular one in Cyprus, it is a museum with an entrance and an exit. The idea is you start at the entrance and then visit all the installations, one after another. And that way, it builds up a story, a narrative as you swim through it, that I hope leaves people with a different impression of the sea after the visit.
“There are a lot of different pieces, and I think a lot of it is all about holding people accountable, holding industries, governments, all sorts of different people responsible for their actions. And I hope people read some of those stories within the works.”
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor, that provided 93 statues for MUSAN, whose opening took place with a ceremony on 31st July, at Pernera beach in Ayia Napa, Cyprus. 
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor, that provided 93 statues for MUSAN, whose opening took place with a ceremony on 31st July, at Pernera beach in Ayia Napa, Cyprus.
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Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub-Editor: James King, Agency: Newsflash
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