World's first underwater museum opens off the coast of Cannes, France

The first underwater museum in the Mediterranean Sea has opened off the coast of Cannes, France. The project, designed by Jason Decaires Taylor, features a series of six three-dimensional monuments , each measuring over two metres tall and weighing ten tonnes . Placed at a depth of two to three metres, the works of art took over four years to create . Open to divers , the museum is surrounded by crystal-clear waters and sits on a white sand beach amidst seagrass meadows on the protected part of Sainte-Marguerite Island. The six artworks are based on portraits of members of the local community , spanning a range of ages and professions. Each face is significantly enlarged and sectioned into two parts, the outer part resembling a mask .

The mask is also a metaphor for the ocean : on one side, it shows strength and resilience; on the other, fragility and decay. “From the land, we see the surface, calm and serene, or powerful and majestic, yet beneath the surface lies a fragile and perfectly balanced ecosystem – one that has been continually degraded and polluted over the years by human activity,” explains Jason Decaires Taylor. Part of the project involved a significant cleanup of the site , which previously served as a decommissioned marine infrastructure site, removing debris such as old engines and pipelines. The artwork was specifically designed with pH-neutral materials to attract marine fauna and flora. The entire site was sealed off from boats, making it safe for divers and preventing damage from anchors. Source: designboom.