'The Silent Evolution' Gains a Car

Scuba divers in the Mexican Caribbean Sea have always had much to delight in. The colorful marine life, mammals, fish and foliage, are top draws at any time of year. However, off the coast of Cancún there is a little more to see.

'The Silent Evolution', a vast underwater art installation by Jason deCaires Taylor, already has 400 pieces in it. Last week, it received a new addition: an eight tonne Volkswagon Beetle car, designed to save the life of lobsters and crabs.


'The Silent Evolution' has been popular with tourists since its inception. The Caribbean Sea is so clear that those travelling on boats, from Cancún to Isla Mujeres, can simply peer down through the waves to view the sculptures on the sea-bed. Snorkellers and divers get the vest views of all though. It's a common sight to find people swimming above or around the area, which just adds to the surreal beauty of the place.

The VW Beetle was lowered into place on June 28th, joining hundreds of sculptures of people going about their daily business. The latest sculpture is called, 'Anthropocene'. It refers to the geological age, which we are currently in.

Anthropocene highlights how humanity has had such a significant presense upon the Earth, that we have actually altered the planet's geology. This may be through climate change or literally, with our capacity to physically reshape the world to suit our needs, in cities, quarries, tunnels through mountains, dams etc.

A car is a strong symbol of that. The metals that craft it and the oil and gas that power it are drawn from the Earth; the exhaust fumes that eminate from it affect our climate. Hence deClaires Taylor's choice to use it to represent the current age.


For humans, 'The Silent Evolution' may be a novelty beneath the sea, but there is a greater purpose here too. The world needs coral reefs. They're not just pretty, but perform a vital function as 'the rainforests of the ocean' (read more here), as well as providing homes for much of the Caribbean's marine life. However, generations of human irresponsibility and hurricane pressure has damaged the coral to the point of endangering us all.

All of the sculptures, including the latest, are made from specially treated concrete. In effect, they create an artificial, man-made coral reef. They are installed as a dull, grey object, but are quickly colonized by marine plant-life. These vibrant colors transform the sculpture into a living artform, which changes with the seasons and maturity. It will never look the same twice, as people visit it months apart.


The evolution of a previous sculpture.
Each sculpture is designed with a certain species of marine life in mind. Some provide sanctuary for fish and others, like the VW Beetle just lowered into the ocean, are for the crustaceans. 'Anthropocene' contains special features, like doorways for lobsters, gaining access to the hollow inside. Therein are places where these creatures can find a home and, more importantly, breed. The whole car is filled with such hidey-holes rendering it much more than unusual art.


To visit 'The Silent Evolution', you need to come to Cancún or Isla Mujeres. Trips are available from both places, where you may choose between viewing from above (boats and snorkelling) or scuba diving down for a close inspection. There are three main sites in the coastal waters here, including one close to the huge natural coral reef of Punta Nizuc.



Read more of our blogs on the subject:

Cancún and Isla Mujeres Underwater Art Museum
'The Silent Evolution': Life-Saving Art

'The Silent Evolution': Life-saving Art

In the waters between Cancún and Isla Mujeres, there is a remarkable sight. 400 life-sized statues of real people gaze up from the seabed. Their presense forms an artificial coral reef, which will help preserve the marine eco-system. Two days ago, it was also the setting for a campaign to save human beings.



When we last highlighted the work of Jason de Caires Taylor, 'The Silent Evolution' was merely concept art. This hauntingly beautiful seabed scene is now a reality. Just two weeks ago, it was installed in the Manchones Reef, in the National Marine Park of Cancún, Isla Mujeres and Pinta Nisuc. Snorkellers, scuba divers and glass-boated boats have already been flocking to the site. At a depth of between 4-7 meters (13-23ft), it is easily viewed through the pristine waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Each one of the 400 life-sized sculptures represent a real person walking around in the world above. They range from an 85 year old nun to a three year old boy named Santiago. On his website, the artist paid tribute to 'all the models who patiently stood in their underwear covered in vaseline and plaster for over an hour, thus requiring trust and bravery'.



As with all of Jason de Caires Taylor's underwater sculptures, 'The Silent Evolution' has an important job to do. Erosion and bleaching of the world's coral reefs mean that much of the plants and creatures that rely on on them are now endangered. These statues have been especially created to act as substitute reefs. While blandly white at the moment, they will literally evolve into a vibrant and ever-changing display of color.

The installation has already attracted bright, tropical fish into its sheltering nooks. Within just a few weeks, the coral plantlife will start growing across its surfaces. The artist views the creation and placing of the statues as merely the beginning, 'the second phase is dependant on nature’s artists of the sea, to nurture, evolve and apply the patina of life.' Once the coral life has really taken hold, then each new visit to the site will reveal whole new wonders. This is living, breathing, thriving art.



'The Silent Evolution' hit doubly hit the headlines this week. As the final pieces were being lowered into place, delegates from the UN Climate Change Conference were gathering in nearby Cancún. Activists from Greenpeace, TckTckTck and 350.org wanted to get their message heard by them. The slogan was stark, 'Real people can't live underwater'. It was to press home the threat posed by rising sea levels. In a world of glaciers melting under rising temperatures, those living in low lying coastal areas, across the world, are in danger of losing their homes and livelihoods.

The protesters donned ordinary, every-day clothing, in order to free dive down to the statues. They had to hold their breath for up to a minute, so that their photographs and video footage could be taken. The human-like sculptures were created to live underwater. Human beings are not.

All of this was done with Jason de Caires Taylor's permission. In fact, he was there. Who better than the artist to take the photographs? :D



For more images, check out the slideshow here.

Cancún and Isla Mujeres Underwater Art Museum

The picture above is entitled 'The Silent Revolution' by Jason de Caires Taylor. At first glance, it may appear as people trudging slowly over a strange, barren landscape, while the sky above casts a heavy, blue glow. However, there is something very different about this artwork. For a start, the ground is the seabed. The bizarre blueness is explained once you realise that it is all the Caribbean Sea. This is concept art and the finished product will be underwater.

The figures are life-sized sculptures, their faces cast from real life people living in the Yucatan today. They are shown as a progression of the historical population of Mexico. Some are in the dress of the earliest settlers of Mexico; others clothed as the Maya or the Aztecs or the Spanish Conquistadors or the 19th century revolutionaries or any other period that you care to mention. Those at the front are modern people; some have been cast from the faces of international tourists.

'The Silent Revolution' is currently being installed, in the strait between Cancún and Isla Mujeres. It is just one of a series of intricate and immense artwork being lowered into place there, creating the largest underwater art display in the world. The whole project will eventually consist of 400 sculptures, occupying 150 square meters of ocean floor. It began in November 2009 and will continue being added to until 2012; then it will remain as a permanent, 120 ton exhibition.

Some sculptures have already been secured into place:


La Jardinera de la Esperanza (The Gardener of Hope)


El Coleccionista de los Sueños Perdidos (The Archive of Lost Dreams)


Hombre en Llamas (Man on Fire)

The sculptures are more than just beautiful works of art. They have an important environment purpose too. They are especially created from materials which enable natural coral growth. The marine life that ordinarily clings to reefs will also form around this artwork; an attribute which is vital in an area where the coral reefs have been damaged over time. They provide somewhere for this life to cling onto. In turn, the marine life changes each sculpture, as flora forms upon it and fish, shrimp and other creatures teem around it.

Moreover, the sculptures lift the pressure from the entirely natural reefs. Tourists, snorkelers, divers and fishers may well choose to visit the art, instead of the coral. The sight is just as stunning and the fish are the same, only the foundation is less fragile. With fewer visitors than before, the actual coral reef is given a chance to repair and heal.

All in all, Jason de Caires Taylor's vision has grown from a magical concept into a wonderful, life-saving, stunning reality. To see more, please visit his site.