Europe's first underwater art museum, Museo Atlantico, opened in Lanzarote, Spain this week.
Designed by British eco-sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, it features over 300 works across 12 installations in an effort to represent "an entry point to a different world" and to promote "a better understanding of our precious marine environment and of how much we depend on it," according to the museum.
The 14-metre deep collection took two years to complete, and is now a permanent fixture in the Canaries. It was designed to be a "large scale artificial reef," built with neutral pH materials that are environmentally-friendly in order to attract underwater species.
The first pieces were installed in February 2016. According to the museum, they "have already experienced a significant increase in the levels of generation and abundance of species, and are already being frequented by angel sharks, shoals of barracuda and sardines, octopus, marine sponges and the occasional butterfly stingray."
The contemporary underwater art museum includes a 100 tonne 30-metre long wall, a botanical sculpture garden, and a whirlwind formation made up of over 200 human figures.
Take a look at the watery wonder below:
Step inside Museo Atlantico, Europe's first underwater art museum located 14 metres below the water in Lanzarote, Spain.
The permanent museum was designed by British eco-sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor. There are over 300 works spread over 12 installations.
The museum, which was built over two years and takes up 50 x 50 metres of "lifeless sandy seabed," aims to "create a strong visual dialogue between art and nature" by creating a "large scale artificial reef."
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