Commissioned and installed by BASK, the extraordinary Nest underwater sculpture, designed by Jason deCaires Taylor, is an installation of interlocking life-size figures. Not only is Nest a magically serene snorkeling experience – it directly serves the bio-community by establishing an environment to nurture marine life.
Coral reefs are fragile ecosystems. Much of the ocean floor is unstable material where coral cannot easily grow. The Nest sculpture is a highly stable, pH-neutral marine grade cement foundation, allowing algae to develop and protect the coral colonies from the bleaching effects of increasing water temperatures – a process that is being observed in tropical environments worldwide.
This new video, taken in May 2021 shows the beauty of this natural growth in contrast to when it was first commissioned. Coral polyps are forming into groups, attached firmly to the sculptures where they can develop uninterrupted. The colours created by the symbiotic zooxanthellae that live amongst the coral structures are an indication of how the colony will look as it develops.
Nest is a living, evolving environmental sculpture that must be seen to be experienced, and revisited, as it changes over time.