I'd like to be under the sea, in an octopus's garden in the shade.

Jason deCaires Taylor has created a stunning collection of art. His work is a unique and brilliant expression of art and the environment. Taylor carves cement stone figures, submerges them into the sea where he then arranges the figures in different scenes of surreal and everyday life. Eventually the pieces themselves become an artificial reef. His underwater art is not only contributing to the aesthetic quality of life but incredibly helpful from an ecological point of view.

The following is a description taken from his site

"Oceans teem with microscopic organisms that are constantly drifting down towards the sea bed, attaching to and colonising on the way any hard secure surface, such as rock outcrops, and thereby creating the basis of a natural reef. Coral reefs attract an array of marine life (such as colourful fish, turtles, sea urchins, sponges, and sharks) and also provide enclosed spaces for sea creatures to breed or take refuge. "

"Only about 10 – 15% of the sea bed has a solid enough substratum to allow reefs to form naturally. In order to increase the number of reefs in these areas artificial reefs have recently been created from materials that are durable, secure and environmentally sensitive. These reefs appear to have been successful in that they have attracted coral growth which, in turn, can support an entire marine ecosystem. "
"One of the greatest benefits of artificial reefs is that they have lifted the pressure off natural reefs which, over the past few decades, have been over-fished and over-visited. By diverting attention to artificial reefs, natural reefs have now been given a greater chance to repair and to regenerate."

To be further amazed by his incredible work click here