Welcome
In the two years leading up to the pandemic , I found myself visiting a great many art exhibitions . Not because I am especially cultured or artistic , but because they provided a nice focus for a day out with my mum , now in her mid-80s , whose conversation would otherwise consist of the Cancers of Her Friends .
Anyway , the idea was to create a new shared experience , fed by the creativity of the ages . It ’ s been a deeply rewarding process , and while I still tend to choose venues by the quality of the on-site restaurant , my Philistine sensibilities have received some collateral enrichment along the way .
Much as I have come to appreciate the world of art , diving remains the primary prism through which I view the world . When I found myself in Winchester Cathedral the other day , I couldn ’ t help but imagine what its towering vaults would be like if the place were to suddenly fill with water , enabling us to move in three dimensions .
[ My flight of fancy was weirdly apposite , as the cathedral had been saved by a diver , William Walker , who worked on the waterlogged foundations from 1906 to 1912 , to reinforce the south and east walls . ‘ Diver Bill ’ single-handedly packed the foundations with 25,000 bags of concrete , working in dark , freezing water at depths of around 6m , for six hours a day . He is credited with saving the cathedral from total collapse .]
Back to art . Turn to page 13 of this issue ’ s HUB and you find a few pages devoted to Musan , the latest underwater installation by the artist Jason deCaires Taylor , this time located off the resort of Ayia Napa in Cyprus . As always with Jason ’ s work , the sculptures – 93 of them at this site – are designed to change organically as they are colonised by marine life .
Having visited Jason ’ s installations in Grenada and the Bahamas , I ’ m a huge fan . They are thoughtprovoking , dynamic places that change with time and tide , as well as the daily journey of the sun . They bring people to the sea , which as every diver knows will help you to view life from a completely different perspective . This magazine salutes Jason deCaires Taylor , for whom art is life , and life is art !
October 2021 | £ 4.50
Two Trains
The mystery wreck with its own trainset
Going Underground
75 years of the Cave Diving Group
Jersey Devil
Andy Torbet snorkels the Channel Islands
Picture This ...
Cutting-edge camera kit in the Scottish sea lochs
Friend Like Me
Scubapro ’ s Aladin A2 In Test Centre
Statuesque !
Discover the new sunken sculpturepark in Cyprus
Cover photo : Detail of Jason deCaires Taylor ’ s installation , Musan . Photo by the artist .
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