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Life-Size VW Beetle Becomes a Reef


Artist Jason deCaires Taylor shocked us when he first announced that he was submerging over 400 cement sculptures for a new underwater museum in the National Marine Park of Cancun. The installation, called The Silent Evolution, opened to the public in November, becoming the world's largest museum of its kind.

The sculptor's latest work, that joins the 400 sculptures, involves not just the human form but a life-size 8 ton cement replica of the classic Volkswagon Beetle! Called Anthropocene, it sits 8 meters deep at Manchones Reef in Cancun, Mexico.

“The sculpture is designed specifically to house marine life whilst exploring the significant impact humans have had on our planets ecosystems and the subsequent affects to future generations,” Taylor says. “The VW Beetle or ‘votcho' as it is known in Mexico is an iconic symbol and the classic shape was still in production until March 2003. Its rounded aerodynamic shape makes it perfectly suited to maintain stability underwater from strong currents and tropical storms.”










Jason de Caires Taylor and National Marine Park of Cancun

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