WHAT LIES BENEATH

FIVE MINUTES WITH JASON DECAIRES TAYLOR

Australia’s newest art gallery has made a splash, literally, off the shores of Townsville. The Museum of Underwater Art is the latest submerged gallery by the world’s first and leading underwater creater, Jason deCaires Taylor. It’s the first in the Southern Hemisphere, with stage one completed last year. There are two completed installations at present, ‘Ocean Siren’ and The ‘Coral Greenhouse’. The latter is located at The John Brewer Reef in the heart of the Greater Barrier Reef Marine Park and shares a message of reef conservation and restoration. The Greenhouse is the first underwater building created by the artist, weighs more than 50 tonnes and is filled with 20 reef ‘guardians’ all modelled on real people. Divers will be able to access the ‘Coral Greenhouse’ after it officially opens on 1 April, 2020.

No diving is required to see ‘Ocean Siren’, which is located in Townsville right by the Strand Jetty. ‘Ocean Siren’ changes colour, reacting to live water temperature data from the weather station at Davies Reef. The ‘muse’ is modelled on local Wulgurukaba traditional owner Takoda Johnson. MiNDFOOD caught up with Jason deCaires Taylor.

Were you a diver first or a sculptor?

I was a sculptor first and studied at the London Institute of Arts. It was later when I travelled to Australia in 2001 that I became a dive professional.

What are you most proud of in all your installations? I am always most fascinated and engaged by my most recent pieces. It can be very hard to predict how they will start to evolve or interact with their environment and this process can be really exciting to witness.

One of the most interesting pieces in MOUA is ‘Ocean Siren’. What makes

it so special? ‘Ocean Siren’ is the first time that I have represented scientific data in such a strong, emotive and visual way on the surface of a sculpture. The fact that the data is from a live feed on the Great Barrier Reef also creates the feeling viewers are witnessing a moment in history.

How do the underwater museums help to raise awareness of our

environment? Our living planet is what provides us with life, our existence. If we continue to treat conservation as an optional approach, we have no future. I hope my underwater museums help to illustrate that our underwater world is an integral, fragile part of our world and not an endless resource.

Who are your heroes in art and

conservation? Anish Kapoor, Tara Donovan, Christo, Richard Long, Roxy Paine ... and of course there are many marine biologists and explorers who have had a significant impact on me such as Jacques Cousteau, Tony Fontes and Sylvia Earle.

What is next for you? We are looking at the next stages of MOUA and working on community consultation for further installations of artworks on Palm Island and Magnetic Island. moua.com.au