The Atlantic Museum (Museo Atlantico Lanzarote) in Lanzarote, Spain, is the latest entrant in Europe’s enormous list of museums. But this newcomer is unlike any other European museum. Its distinguishing factor is its location; it’s submerged under the Atlantic Ocean! And the only way to visit it is by diving or snorkeling.
Europe’s First Underwater Museum!
© Jason deCaires Taylor
Opened in January 2017, Atlantic Museum in Lanzarote is Europe’s first underwater museum. It is submerged 12 to 15 meters on the seafloor of Las Coloradas bay near Lanzarote, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in Spain. Designed by British eco-sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, this underwater museum is a collection of 12 installations including 300 life-size human structures. It took him over three years to make these sculptures.
© Jason deCaires Taylor
These installations are designed to create environmental awareness and also be a large scale artificial reef that will act as a breeding site for local species. As Taylor says, the museum is “aimed to create a strong visual dialogue between art and nature”. These sculptures are made from environmentally friendly pH neutral materials. According to the Atlantic Museum of Lanzarote, the museum site was completely barren but the project’s first installation created in 2016 is already attracting angel sharks, barracuda, sardines, and octopus.
© Jason deCaires Taylor
Taylor’s art is not just about beautiful sculptures, but each one of them has a story to tell. His 30-meter wall installation called Crossing the Rubicon, highlights that “notions of ownership and territories are irrelevant to the natural world. In times of increasing patriotism and protectionism the wall aims to remind us that we cannot segregate our oceans, air, climate, or wildlife as we do our land and possessions. We forget we are all an integral part of a living system at our peril”.
© Jason deCaires Taylor
Through his Raft of Lampedusa installation depicting a sculpted boat carrying 13 refugees, Taylor pays tribute to the plight of the refugees who crossed the ocean during the recent migrant crisis.
© Jason deCaires Taylor
Taylor also makes commentary on technology’s impact on us with his Disconnected sculpture placed next to the Raft of Lampedusa. It shows a couple taking a ‘selfie’ with the poignant Raft of Lampedusa as a backdrop, emphasizing how inward looking and disconnected we have become as a society that the tragic reality of some is a spectacle for others.
© Jason deCaires Taylor
Another fascinating sculpture is titled Deregulated that features two men in suits playing on a see-saw in a children’s playground. The see-saw and the surrounding swing and a play dolphin highlight the arrogance and negligence of the corporate world, especially the oil companies, towards nature.
This museum is, as Taylor aptly says, “a portal to another world. I want it to inspire people to understand more about our oceans and the threats facing them”.
How to visit the Museo Atlantico Lanzarote?
To explore this marvelous world of underwater art, take an official tour with a certified diving company that has Eco Diver Guides (EDG) trained instructors. To get more information about diving companies in Lanzarote, visit the museum’s website.
Book flights to Madrid, Barcelona, and Lanzarote on EMI without credit card on Mihuru. Book Now, Pay Later.
Tags: Adventure Diving Europe Lanzarote Museums Snorkelling Spain
