Jason deCaires Taylor, a sculptor who places his works under the sea to be adopted and adapted by marine life, has developed a tidal gallery in a Maldive's coral lagoon.
The semi-submerged Sculpture Coralarium on the island resort of Fairmont Sirru Fen Fushi is a combination of pieces rising from the seabed to the sky.
The stainless-steel perimeter cube is six metres tall and weighs 200 tonnes. Its front facade is submerged up to three metres by the tide, although there is an elevated viewing platform that is dry.
Its roof and walls are perforated with coral designs that allow marine life to enter, seek refuge and colonise the gallery of 14 sculptures.
Some of the pieces are continually submerged and others are high above the water, but most are mid-water so they interact with the marine and terrestrial world depending on the tidal level.
Black silhouetted figures stand proud on the roof, the aim being to connect the sea to the sky.
The sculptures are hybrid forms, made up of human, plant and coral features. These reflect the island's endemic species, including banyan trees, screw pines, strangler ivy, and mushroom and staghorn corals from its surrounding reefs.
A series of sculptures of children looking up towards the sea surface poses questions about the threat of climate change and how rising sea levels will affect low lying islands such as the Maldives. Most feature roots to symbolise the dependence of man on the environment.
