Although it’s hard to admit, Labor Day is right around the corner. But that doesn’t mean your traveling and summer fun has to end! If you’re looking for a new place to venture, check out the innovative and captivating Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA), located in Cancun, Mexico. The space is not only stunning but also created for a good cause: to protect the weathering reefs off of Mexico’s coast. Grab a snorkeling mask and throw on a bathing suit, as this is one gallery where shoes and shirts aren’t required.
MUSA is fully submerged underwater and contains more than 500 sculpted works by Jason deCaires Taylor. The mission of the museum, co-founded by Taylor in 2009, is to help save Cancun’s damaged reefs by detracting visitors from already damaged reefs. It also creates an environment where new sea life can grow and flourish. This is made possible through the sculptures’ materials, such as pH-neutral concrete.
The sculptures look thousands of years old, with algae beginning to cover their forms. While they’re a mere fraction of that age, the sculptures didn’t simply sink into place overnight. It took Taylor more than 18 months and 120 tons of concrete, sand, and gravel to create his masterpieces. Plus, each statue was meticulously sculpted in order to resemble members of Taylor’s local fishing community. In addition, the sculptures demonstrate the spectrum in which people interact with the environment: from a young girl looking hopefully up towards the sky to a circle of disinterested businesspeople staring at the ground.
Taylor has created a fresh canvas to experience art, challenging the limits of the institution that is the museum. And with the success of Taylor’s first sculpture park in the West Indies, which is now named one of the Top 25 Wonders of the World by National Geographic, it seems like the future looks more than promising for this museum.
Featured Image // Courtesy of musaislamujeres.com
