International artist Jason deCaires Taylor, famous for his hauntingly beautiful sculptures in waters from the Caribbean, Canary Islands and the River Thames, has done it again. The British-born artist has created 48 life-size figures set in the shallow waters in Indonesian island Gili Meno.
Titled Nest, the sculpted human figures, made from pH neutral, environmental grade concrete and based on the casts of real people, will provide a natural home for corals. According to Taylor, the ocean’s teeming marine life population will transform the sculpture into a reef within the next year.
The project will be a centrepiece for BASK Gili Meno, a new resort that is set to open in 2019.
The resort will have 87 secluded, chic and airy villas, each designed to celebrate natural beauty and respect the local culture.
Gili Meno, dubbed as an island paradise with one of the world’s richest ecosystems, has a population of over 500 people. Taylor described Nest as an environmental space.
Around 40% of the world’s coral reefs have been lost over the past few decades and scientists predict many more are now at risk. Nest is an environmental space and the figures are arranged in a circular formation as an echo of the circle of life.
Soft corals and sponges should flourish quickly paving the way for delicate hard corals and a fully established reef. Nest is also a bridge between the human and marine world. Nest will remind visitors of the many treasures of the underwater world and how fragile they are.
The Nest is a short swim for travellers. The CEO of BASK Gili Meno, Greg Meyer, said Taylor’s work was vibrant, thriving ecosystems in their own right.
“Nest is more than just a thing of beauty that will draw visitors to the island – as a perfect intersection of mankind and nature, it also symbolises what we’re trying to achieve at BASK Gili Meno,” he said.
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