The Cayman Islands is set to add to its ever-growing collection of underwater sculptures with another mesmerising piece by British-born Canadian sculptor Simon Morris – Angel of the Reef.
Simon, who is a member of Ocean Futures, the Ocean Artists' Society, and the College of Fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographic Foundation – and now sales manager for Shearwater Research – is world-renowned for his bronze sculptures sited in key locations underwater to promote responsible dive tourism and environmental awareness.
Many visitors to Grand Cayman will have swum by, or posed with, the mermaid Amphitrite, which has been on the reef at Sunset House since October 2000.
This was followed by The Guardian of the Reef, a limited-edition set of four signed, numbered and dated bronze statues of a fierce merman warrior. Number one was completed in October 2013 and subsequently placed at Lighthouse Point in Grand Cayman's West Bay in April 2014.
Inspired creation
Now plans are afoot for a third mermaid sculpture to follow in their fin-steps and be placed on Soto's Reef. Angel of the Reef came about after author Nicholas Harvey interviewed Simon to glean information about a mermaid sculpture featured in his novella Angels of the Deep, and then actually ended up featuring the sculptor as the character in the book.
Following on from this, Harvey – and his co-author Nick Sullivan – joined forces with Simon Morris to see the sculpture from the book – a mermaid accompanied by a turtle and a stingray – actually become a real-life sculpture, and raise awareness of the localised efforts to save the green turtle.
The Angel of the Reef will be approximately 2.7 metres from the tip of her tail to the top of her head. She will be installed on a ‘layer-cake' style Reef Ball concrete structure. The mermaid is looking towards the surface with arms stretched forward and curved up, welcoming the divers from above. The stingray is in intimate contact with the mermaid’s back, with the wings slightly curved around her shoulders in a protective manner. The mermaid’s head is angled back and up and the stingray’s head follows that angle, appearing like a halo behind her, adding to the angel concept. The turtle will be closer to the reef, curving around the mermaid’s tail, and contacting the piece in two places with a light caress of her flippers.
Simon said: “I’ve learned over the years that divers prefer to photograph my UW sculptures from a low viewpoint, to take advantage of the sun’s rays, silhouette, etc, so that view needs to remain clear and uncluttered to maximize the visual impact of the wings.
“It will definitely still be a joyous dance and interplay between the three elements. The mermaid will be different from Amphitrite in respect for Sunset’s early contribution, but share some DNA to make the whole thing reminiscent of Amphitrite and the Guardian in homage to their dynasty.”
Nicholas Harvey said: “The idea of bringing to life, what began as a focal point for our novella, is mind-blowing to me. A magnificent piece of artwork by an incredible artist, to be seen, admired, and enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people over time. As a keen environmentalist, Simon’s desire to apply a portion of revenue from the project towards Green Sea Turtle conservation is icing on the cake.”
Funding installation
The help raise the necessary funds to create, transport and site the Angel of the Reef, Simon has produced a stunning artist's impression of the sculpture. These are available as an unsigned, unlimited edition (US$115), a hand-signed, number limited edition (US$200), and an artist's proof limited to just 10 ($250).
He is also making 1/6 scale versions (approx 45cm tall) – a limited edition of 25 pieces, signed, numbered and dated, for $7,200, and just three Artist's Proofs, signed, numbered and dated, for $7,600.
