Title: The Rising Tide

Materials: Stainless steel, pH neutral high-density marine cement.

Location: Thames foreshore, Vauxhall, London.

Installed on the 3rd of September 2015, the latest work by Jason deCaires Taylor depicts a series of horses with riders on the

banks of the river Thames in central London. Positioned on the shoreline adjacent to the MI6 headquarters in Vauxhall,

opposite Tate Britain, the tidal works are revealed and partially concealed by the rise and fall of the Thames twice daily.

The hybrid sculptures fuse oil extraction machinery with the equine form, referencing the working horse of London whilst

drawing attention to our ongoing dependency on fossil fuels and the potential apocalyptic outcome of climate change.

The sculpture was commissioned by the "Totally Thames" festival which celebrates the river Thames during the month of

September and was funded by Lumina Prime8 and Art-Biosphere.

Each of the horses has a different rider, either a male suited figure or a young teenager. The suited figures illustrate an

attitude of denial or ambivalence towards our current climate crisis whereas the young riders represent hope in effecting

future change. As a whole the sculptures symbolise our desire to control natural forces, but their position in a vast body of

moving water highlights our inherent fragility. It is intended to provide a disturbing metaphor for rising sea levels,

demonstrating how little time we have to act, yet crucially it offers hope as it resets itself each day offering us the

opportunity for change.

The materials used for construction are long lasting and permanant. Designed for areas of extreme contact with saline or

fresh water. The surface of the sculptures is pH nuetral and will not contaminate a waterway. Each of the horses and riders is

mounted on a concealed rectangular foundation base for stability and transportation. Approximate weight of each horse and

rider is 7-8000kg.

BIOGRAPHY: Jason deCaires Taylor

Jason deCaires Taylor described by Foreign Policy magazine as the “Jacques Cousteau of the art world” is an

internationally acclaimed sculptor who creates underwater, living installations.

Born in 1974 to an English father and Guyanese mother, Taylor grew up in Europe and educated in the South East of

England, Taylor graduated from the London Institute of Arts in 1998 with a BA Honours in Sculpture and went on to

become a fully qualified diving instructor and underwater naturalist. With over 20 years diving experience under his

belt, Taylor is also an award winning underwater photographer, famous for his dramatic images, which capture the

metamorphosing effects of the ocean on his evolving sculptures.

In 2006, Taylor founded and created the world’s first underwater sculpture park. Situated off the west coast of Grenada

in the West Indies it is now listed as one of the Top 25 Wonders of the World by National Geographic and was

instrumental in the creation of a National Marine Protected Area by the local Government. Following on in 2009 he co-

founded MUSA (Museo Subacuático de Arte), a monumental museum with a collection of over 500 of his sculptural

works, submerged off the coast of Cancun, Mexico; described by Forbes as one of the world’s most unique travel

destinations. Both these ambitious, permanent public works have a practical, functional aspect, facilitating positive

interactions between people and fragile underwater habitats.

Taylor’s art is like no other, a paradox of creation, constructed to be assimilated by the ocean and transformed from

inert objects into living breathing coral reefs, portraying human intervention as both positive and life-encouraging.

Numerous publications and documentaries have featured his extraordinary work, including the BBC, CNN, USA Today,

the Guardian, Vogue, New Scientist and the Discovery Channel, yet nothing can quite do justice to the ephemeral nature

of his art; for each actual visit to his sites is both unique and subject to the dynamic, fluctuating environment of the

ocean.

His pioneering public art projects are not only examples of successful marine conservation, but works of art that seek to

encourage environmental awareness, instigate social change and lead us to appreciate the breathtaking natural beauty

of the underwater world.

During the summer of 2014 Taylor submerged “Ocean Atlas” in the Bahamas, which is currently the largest single

underwater sculpture in the world measuring 5 meters high and weighing over 60 tons. Taylor’s studio is currently

based in the south east of Lanzarote part of the Canary Islands.

PRESS

The Rising Tide sculpture installation has generated significant global media attention featuring in more than 2,000

online publications, 250 print press and featured in TV broadcasts across 4 continents. In the first fortnight of

placement The Rising Tide has achieved a reach of over 30million media impressions.