You'll need a snorkel and a pair of googles to visit this museum!
Europe's first underwater museum just opened in Lanzarote near the Canary Islands, and it's both creepy and beautiful at the same time. The Museo Atlantico features the work of British artist Jason deCaires Taylor, with over 300 human sculptures submerged on the ocean floor.
But none of them are random. Through his art, deCaires hopes to shed light on issues such as "climate change, conservation, and migration." In addition, the sculptures are made using marine-grade cement, which won't harm the aquatic environment, but encourage new ecosystems to grow.
"The whole idea was for it to become a portal to another world," Mr. deCaires Taylor told CNN. "I want it to inspire people to understand more about our oceans and the threats facing them."
The Gyre, one of deCaires' most striking sculptures, depicts the power of the ocean.
"The piece embodies our naked vulnerability to [the ocean's] inherent power, and our fragility in the face of its cycles and immense force." wrote deCaires. "It provides the oxygen we breathe, it regulates our climate and it provides a vital source of nutrition to millions of people."
Another massive sculpture, Crossing the Rubicon, shows the futility of trying to take ownership of natural resources.
"The wall is intended to be a monument to absurdity, a dysfunctional barrier in the middle of a vast fluid, three-dimensional space, which can be bypassed in any direction," the artist wrote. "It emphasizes that the 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."
Continue to the next page to see more photos!
It's not too hard to discover the message behind the Raft of Lampedusa, which is a life raft packed full of down-trodden and starving figures. The sculpture endeavors to provide a political commentary on the ongoing refugee crisis and a memorial to the many who have died while migrating.
Here are more of the stunning installations:
Go to the next page to see a video of the museum! It's worth it, we promise.
You might want to visit Spain pretty soon to see this museum up close! If you do, it costs just €12pp for scuba divers and €8pp for snorkelers.
I think it's well worth it, don't you?
Watch the video below to find out how they assembled the sculptures under the sea:
We want to hear from you! Would you visit this museum? Leave us a comment below and don't forget to SHARE this post!