Jason deCaires Taylor’s Grenada underwater art installation has been extended with figures from the country’s Spicemas Carnival
By DIVE Staff
In 2006, Jason deCaires Taylor created the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park., the first of its kind in the world and the inception for all of his subsequent underwater art installations.
The park has recently been upgraded with a major new extension – the Coral Carnival – a new series which includes 27 new sculptures inspired by Grenada’s annual Spicemas carnival. The sculptural procession of underwater figures, which was created in collaboration with a group of talented local artists, portrays a range of symbolic carnival characters, each celebrating the country’s rich culture and history.
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Vieux Corps (Vecko)
Vieux Corps (known locally as Vecko) carnival figures typically feature tall pointed hats, wooden shoes, and full-length cloaks made from black, red or purple cloth. Their faces, concealed with wire mesh masks, symbolise the loss of identity endured through slavery, while their boots are fitted with large wooden soles to create a loud noise as they stomp through towns and villages.
In deCaires Taylor’s new underwater creation, the traditional masks and cloaks of the Vecko have been customised with a variety of organic pigments such as squid ink, cochineal and turmeric on a calcium carbonate base.
Wild Indian
The Wild Indian characters in the procession originate from the Amerindian heritage of immigrants from South America; each character dressed in colourful clothing including a short skirt, a tall feathered headdress, and beaded jewellery. Their faces and bodies have been hand-painted with traditional details.
Jab Jab, the ‘double devil’
Jab Jab has been one of the main characters in Grenada’s cultural festivities for many years and is unique to the island. Although the name translates to ‘double devil,’ the masqueraders are not related to demonic culture, but instead are satirising the thoughts and actions of slave masters from the past.
Local artists sculpted traditional elements for each of the underwater Jab Jab figures to carry – serpents, animal skulls, and dead fish – then painted the sculptures with organic black squid ink pigment to represent the molasses or engine oil that masqueraders traditionally cover their bodies with during Spicemas.
Short Knee
Short Knee is another long-standing character of the Carnival, with men, women, and children all wearing the same colourful costumes and chanting lines of verse telling stories about their life or village while masquerading.
Each Short Knee sculpture in the Underwater Sculpture Park’s extension wears the traditional 3/4-length jumpsuit of the character, white trainers and small ankle bells. Circular mirrors and white talcum powder are to warn away enemies whilst the bell anklets make their presence known. The individually hand-painted wire masks sit on a white towel headpiece and often feature a simply painted goat or sheep’s face.Â
Fancy Mas dancer
The vibrant costumed dancers of Fancy Mas are another iconic symbol of Grenada’s celebrations. The sculptures – adorned with jewels, sequins, and feathers – are distinctively painted, temporarily recreating the vibrancy of Caribbean carnivals until the abundant surrounding marine life takes hold and replaces it with its own bright colouration and texture.Â
The sculptural works were created using high-grade stainless steel and pH-neutral marine cement. The bases of the sculptures are intended to look like rock formations and include holes and shelters for marine life such as octopuses and lobsters.
To discover more of Jason deCaires Taylor’s projects, head to www.underwatersculpture.com, or find him on Instagram: @jasondecairestaylor and YouTube: @jasondecairestaylorstudio
