By Jessica Stewart on November 7, 2024

This installation features 30 sculptures of origami boats guided by representations of local schoolchildren 12 feet under water.

For nearly 20 years, sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor has been creating evocative underwater installations that speak to the environmental hardships our seas face. By creating these underwater museums, Taylor not only sends a strong message but also establishes new ecosystems for marine life. His latest installation, A World Adrift, continues his work in Grenada by sinking 30 boat sculptures in the waters off the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

Each boat, guided by representations of local school children, symbolizes the uncertain waters of the future. Work on the project began in 2023 to call attention to the unique vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) due to rising sea levels, warming seas, and extreme weather events. The urgency of Taylor’s work was put starkly into view when Hurricane Beryl hit the area in July, leaving destruction in its wake.

Still, Taylor and his team pushed forward with the installation, which was commissioned by the Grenadian Tourism Commission. They worked diligently to secure the sculptures 13 feet underwater, securing them with rigging that will act as coral and sponge nurseries. Made from marine-grade stainless steel and pH-neutral green cement, the sculptures will serve as an artificial reef for marine life while also acting as reminders of the ecosystem’s fragile nature.

This fragility is symbolized by the origami boats the children steer as they look forward to the possibility of a bleak future in the face of these challenges. In some boats, sails bear the grim statistics of climate change, ominous reminders of global warming. But at the same time, these sculptures also provide hope for a brighter future in their role as artificial reefs, with Taylor calling them “symbolic arks in an era of ecological urgency.” […]

More: Underwater Sculptures Act as Artificial Reefs in Grenada