The first 100 sculptures of the installation “The Silent Evolution” are now nearing completion. The life-size figurative casts taken from various members of the local community are planned to form a monumental artificial reef, aiming to draw both visitors and marine life to an uninhabited area of the national marine park. The first installation of 200 sculptures is scheduled for deployment in June 2010 with the remainder of the 400 by the end of the year. Jason is still searching for people to cast and become immortalized within the installation. To apply please send a picture and be available to travel to Cancun.
Since November 09 the first 3 underwater pieces installed in the; Museo Subaquatico de Cancun have been a great success, drawing much interest from tourists and already showing exponential coral growth in only 3 months. The flames on the “Man on Fire” have truly been lit.
| Projects : Canterbury, Kent, UK | |||||||
Alluvia Set in the historic city of Canterbury, in association with Canterbury City Council, Alluvia is a sculpture consisting of two female figures, cast in cement and recycled glass resin. Positioned within sight of the Westgate Bridge and its adjoining gardens, the underwater sculptures lie along the river flow, submerged and fixed to the bed of the river Stour. At night the works are internally illuminated. The title Alluvia relates to the alluvial deposits of sand left by the rise and fall of the rivers water levels. The Stour cuts through Canterbury, informing what could be described as a division between the past and present, between the old and the new city. The two contrasting figures are made from silica, an oxide of silicon, found in sand and quartz, the natural process of erosion questions the material properties of this widely used substance both highlighting and documenting the passage of time. The pieces also act as environmental barometers, algae accumulated on their surfaces are indicators of pollution within the county’s waterways from chemicals and phosphates used in modern agricultural farming. The work draws reference to Sir John Everett Millais’s celebrated painting Ophelia (1851-1852). The pose of the figures and the materials used respond to the flow of water along the river and to the refracted colours of its fauna and substrate. As the surface tension and volume of water changes through the seasons, and the effects of light alter through the day, so what is seen of the sculptures changes. This fluctuation questions the stability of a material perceived to have permanence, and further challenges the recourse of memory, questioning how images and ideas constructed from fragments are presented. The work also encourages people to return to the site to recall and evaluate their altering experience of the work. Depth 1.5m to 80cm (depending on rainfall) Workshops were planned with A-level Art and Design students. Each student was required to produce a life cast of their face, to form an installation two metres deep around the shoreline of Moliniere Bay. The project aimed to encourage local artists to contribute further works to the site and provide a arena for communities to appreciate and highlight the marine processes evident in their local environment. The students were taught a range of skills including life-casting, cement casting and sculpting. The final pieces were installed by Jason on 25th April 2007. |
