Artist creates underwater sculptures in Caribbean

A new underwater sculpture exhibition created by an artist from Kent is to open in the Caribbean.

The installation consists of a fleet of 30 sculptures crafted from marine stainless steel and pH neutral green cement.

The artwork was created by sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, from Canterbury.

Titled A World Adrift, he said his latest installation drew inspiration from the “looming crisis” of climate change in Carriacou and Petit Martinique, two islands in Grenada.

“Rising sea levels, warming oceans, coastal erosion and the spectre of increasingly ferocious weather events, such as hurricanes, cast a shadow over the future of these beautiful delicate ecosystems,” he said.

Each vessel in the installation aims to resemble paper origami helmed by a fearless local school child to depict the fragility of the surrounding ecosystem and a representation who will be affected most, Mr Taylor said.

Positioned in Carriacou, located to the north of the island of Grenada in the Caribbean Sea, the artwork pays homage to the island's history of boat building and will be placed approximately three to five meters deep, making it ideal for snorkelling or diving.

The sculptures are individual artificial reefs designed to shelter surrounding marine life and boost overall aquatic biodiversity.

The sail ropes will double as a coral nursery, where fragments can be grown and eventually transplanted onto nearby reefs.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.