Cannes—the French city of glitz, glamour and opulence—now has another attraction to its name. An underwater museum in Cannes has come up off the island of Île Sainte Marguerite. Here’s all you need to know about the new establishment. By Kumar Shree
Given that Cannes is known for its extravagant panorama, we cannot think of a better location for an underwater museum. After all, the go-to destination of the rich and the famous must keep up with the trend! It seems like British artist Jason deCaires Taylor picked up on this vibe, and set up an underwater museum in the Mediterranean Sea.
The museum has six sculptures, all of which are more than six feet tall and made using pH-neutral cement. These sculptures are portraits of the locals, and denote people of all age groups ranging from children to the elderly. It took four years to complete these installations, each of which weighs about 12 tonnes and sit at a depth of three metres.
The museum aims to draw attention and highlight the depleting state of the Mediterranean ocean and others around the world. It has also proven to be a boon for the ocean as all the waste like old pipes, cables, and debris were cleared before installing the underwater sculptures.
Initially, artist Jason deCaires Taylor gathered 40 local volunteers who wanted to have their face sculpted for the museum. Out of these 40 people, only six were chosen to become a part of the museum. The oldest local portrayed in these sculptures is that of an 80-year-old fisherman, Maurice, who has seen the ocean’s decline throughout his lifetime.
One peculiar feature of this underwater museum in Cannes is that all the installations are sliced in half. With this, the artist denotes a double problem—the ocean’s immense strength and its fragility.
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor is a known name in underwater art as he has over 1,000 underwater sculptures under his name. One can witness his works in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans.
There is no entry fee for the museum, and snorkelers can explore the hottest new establishment in town at their own pace.
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