Water world

A staggering feat of art and architecture opens on the Great Barrier Reef this month.

Twenty years ago, when British artist Jason deCaires Taylor was working as a diving instructor on the Great Barrier Reef, he couldn’t have predicted that one day he’d be back installing mammoth sculptures on its seabed.

“It’s a special place for me,” says Taylor. “I used to live at Airlie Beach and take tourists out to the reef on a boat. I got to dive hundreds of times here so it was always an ambition of mine to return.”

This time around he’s been doing a lot more than diving, though. He’s been designing and placing his art

– above sea level and below – as part of the Museum of Underwater Art (moua. com.au), which opens this month off the coast of Townsville.

While the museum is spread across four sites (two are still under construction), Coral Greenhouse – a 12-metre-high structure containing 20 human-figure sculptures secured to the seabed – is the centrepiece. To access it, visitors will catch a boat from Townsville to John Brewer Reef, where they can see the underwater spectacle either by snorkelling or diving deeper to view the sculptures up close.

Whatever method you choose, don’t expect the artworks to stay the same. “The figures are made of a special type of pH-neutral cement, designed to instigate coral growth,” says Taylor, who’s worked on similar projects all over the world. “Over time, nature takes over and covers them in its own colours.”

Three years in the planning, the museum is aimed at encouraging visitors to the reef. “There’s a misconception the reef is dying and you shouldn’t go there – that’s not the case,” he says. “It’s still incredible and thoughtful tourism is one of the best ways to help it survive.”