"I just think we need to protect these areas. We have to feel for them. We have to understand them. And we have to feel that connection. So I would certainly encourage as many people as possible to learn to dive, to learn to snorkel and to really be in the moment, be in the space, in order to foster that empathy for the marine world. For me, it's one of the most beautiful, spiritual, and diverse places on the planet. And it's so little understood, but it's changing.

We actually have some new works which have scientific monitoring devices in them. They actually have little sensors in them that monitor temperature and salinity and other factors. And they can be removed and then scanned. And all that data can then be downloaded to also monitor how the works are. I just completed a big project in Australia which just opened on World Ocean's Day. And one of the main pieces there is this piece called The Ocean Siren. And it is a young indigenous woman who is standing on the coastline, and she's actually attached to a weather station connected via a satellite link to a weather station out on the Great Barrier Reef. And that feeds data back to her. And then there's a solar array that changes a series of LEDs on her skin. So she changes red and orange color when there are prolonged spikes in temperature that could indicate coral bleaching. And then when the water is cooler, she obviously comes back down to a cooler blue or green color."

What if museums weren’t confined to buildings but could be part of the natural world? What if sculptures could not only celebrate our oceans, but also provide habitats for marine life?

Jason deCaires Taylor is a sculptor, environmentalist, and underwater photographer. His works are constructed using materials to instigate natural growth and the subsequent changes intended to explore the aesthetics of decay, rebirth, and metamorphosis. DeCaires Taylor's pioneering public art projects are not only examples of successful marine conservation but also works of art that seek to encourage environmental awareness and lead us to appreciate the breathtaking natural beauty of the underwater world.

www.underwatersculpture.com

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