LUXURY INDIAN OCEAN TENDANCES
ART INSTALLATIONS Deanna de Marigny
© Jason DeCaires Taylor
At La Prairie , in the south of Mauritius , a steep and rocky path leads to Deanna de Marigny ’ s studio . The landscape is wild , peaceful , indescribably beautiful . And the artist who draws her inspiration from it every day never tires of it .
Deanna is Californian by blood , Tahitian at heart and Mauritian by marriage . From the moment she arrived in Mauritius in 2014 , she was fascinated by the deep-hued ebony and the massive Porites coral that she picked up off the ground , like a gift from nature , while walking at La Prairie . “ Raw materials inspire me . They are witnesses to the natural evolution of our planet . They dictate my compositions . I try to bring them together with the utmost respect ,” she explains . The result is exquisite . Deanna ’ s sculptural compositions celebrate the history of the region and its geological treasures .
Inspired by the theosophy of Helena Blavasky , the golden ratio and the Polynesian zest for life , Deanna seeks to highlight “ the reassuring beauty of our lives through positive works of art .”
Jason deCaires Taylor
© Jason DeCaires Taylor
He is a British artist and environmentalist known for his spectacular underwater sculptures . When he was approached by the Fairmont Maldives , he immediately took the plunge . The island hotel is surrounded by a shallow , sandy lagoon . It wanted to create a coral sanctuary to help marine life recover and offer its guests an artistic and educational installation .
The result is the Coralarium , a semi-submerged museum , snorkelling spot and gateway to the Sirru Fen Fushi seabed . Consisting of 500 ceramic starfish that attract a wide variety of fish and crustaceans , the five-metre-high installation acts as a sanctuary and will , in time , become an integral part of the local ecosystem . It is particularly welcome in the Maldives , which are heavily affected by coral bleaching . “ Our planet is mostly water , and the seabed has yet to be explored artistically . It ’ s a whole new world in which I can push the boundaries of my art practice ,” says Jason . “ And I can do it in a way that has a positive impact . Creating an underwater museum is a way of saying that the ocean is sacred . It ’ s also about providing a habitat for marine species while keeping tourists away from sensitive areas where they usually dive or fish .”
© Jason DeCaires Taylor
An oasis in the midst of a sandy desert , the Coralarium takes on a different appearance depending on the tides and the light . Its residents now include eels , rays and black-tip sharks , among other species !
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