Jason deCaires Taylor is a renowned British sculptor with a passion for all things maritime.
In addition to being an absolutely unbelievable artist, Taylor is also an underwater photographer, scuba instructor and marine conservationist. Most known for creating the world’s first underwater sculpture park, an awe-inspiring installation of more than 500 life-sized sculptures on the ocean floor just off the coast of Cancun, Taylor creates works that become fixtures of their environment – whether permanent or temporary.
Most recently, Taylor was commissioned to participate in London’s Totally Thames art festival. His creation, titled “The Rising Tide,” brought four cement horsemen to the Thames bankside near the Vauxhall Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. The twist is that the sculptures were only fully visible twice a day, during low tide. Placed in a zone where the tide fluctuates by up to 23 feet, they were fully submerged during high tide, and would slowly emerge as the tide went out.
The installation itself strikes genius, while an eerie undertone of climate change adds depth (literally).
“Working in conservation, I am very concerned with all the associated effects of climate change and the state of peril our seas are in at the moment,” Taylor told The Guardian. “So here I wanted a piece that was going to be revealed with the tide and worked with the natural environment of the Thames, but also alluded to the industrial nature of the city and it’s obsessive and damaging focus just on work and construction.”
The sculptures also carry a political jab.
“I quite like the idea that the piece sits in the eye line of the place where many politicians and so many people who are involved in climate change all work and make these damaging deals and policies, yet who are in this state of mad denial,” he said.
Amazing work by Jason deCaires Taylor. Check out a few photos from “The Rising Tide” below.