Six large sculptures of fractured human faces form an underwater museum that British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor has created off the coast of Cannes, France.
The Underwater Museum of Cannes is a permanent installation beside the island of Sainte-Marguerite that is intended to "draw more people underwater" to engage with marine life.
Sculptor deCaires Taylor has created an underwater museum in Cannes
It is designed by deCaires Taylor to be accessible by either snorkelling or diving, positioned two and three metres below sea level.
The goal is that visitors will "foster a sense of care" for marine life and better appreciate its value, while oceans environments are being threatened by human activity.
It comprises six sculptures of human faces "The main goal was to bring attention to the fact that our oceans need our help," the sculptor told Dezeen.
"Marine ecologies have been decimated by human activity in the Mediterranean over the past few decades and it is not obvious what is taking place when observing the sea from afar," he explained.
The sculptures are positioned at shallow depths
"The idea of creating an underwater museum was to draw more people underwater, to foster a sense of care and protection," added deCaires Taylor.
"If we lived next to a forest or nature reserve where the animals were extracted on an industrial scale and we dumped unwanted waste there would be a public outcry, whereas this is happening ev...