Underwater Museum

The project founded by Jaime Gonzalez Cano of The National Marine Park, Roberto Diaz of The Cancun Nautical Association and Jason deCaires Taylor, now consists of over 400 permanent life-size sculptures, one of the largest and most ambitious underwater artificial attractions in the world. The Museum aiming to demonstrate the interaction between art and environmental science hopes to form a complex reef structure for marine life to colonise and inhabit. The main goal of English artist Jason Decaires Taylor’s work is conservation.  Each of the more than 400 life sized sculptures are made from ph neutral clay in order to promote the growth of coral reef and marine life with the total installation occupying an area of over 150sq metres and weighing over 120 tons. The museum is located a short distance from the famous Manchones reef.  As the museum grows and marine life forms, the aim is to give Cancun’s reef areas a much needed rest so they can recuperate from hurricane damage. The Cancun Marine Park is one of the most visited stretches of water in the world with over 750,000 visitors each year, placing immense pressure on its resources. The location of the sculptures will promote the recovery of the natural reefs, relieving pressure on them by drawing visitors away.  Each sculpture has it’s own meaning such as ‘The Dream Collector’, ‘Man on Fire’ and ‘The Silent Evolution’ The Silent Evolution consists of almost 400 sculptures and the figures were molded from real models.  These models were regular characters from Cancun and Puerto Morelos as well as a famous tv presenter. The third stage of the museum commencing towards the end of 2010 will involve commissioning local and international artists to contribute further sculptural installations and host special underwater cultural events celebrating the Arts and Science. The world's first underwater art museum, located within the National Park of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nisuc.