Sinking junk and other large objects to create artificial reefs for marine life is becoming increasingly common, but the extraordinary collection of 400 such sculptures in Cancun's National Marine Park is like nothing else on earth. Jason de Caires Taylor's Manchones Reef installation, called The Silent Evolution, is designed to create an artificial home full of nooks and crannies for crustaceans and other underwater critters displaced by humankind's assault on their natural habitat. But it also draws profound attention to the long-lasting impact our consumer age will have on successive generations. The latest addition to this underwater monument? A life-size cement Volkswagen Beetle.

Although typically associated with the more benign variety of consumer, the Beetle is nonetheless a popular icon that evokes memories of our rapid commercial development. Called Anthropocene, the 8 ton cement VW has a well-rounded shape that gives it extra stability 8 meters below the Gulf of Mexico’s surface. Fitted out with all sorts of secret hiding spots, the VW creates an ideal home for a variety of marine creatures.

+ Jason de Caires Taylor

Via My Modern Met

1 Comment

anreise June 23, 2011 at 2:56 pm

Interesting that they cast a new VW out of concrete instead of just sinking a couple of decommissioned ones from the junkyard. That’s uber green… What will the artists think of next?