Rising from the Solomon Islands, in one of the most remote places on earth, a new sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor continues the artist’s ongoing Siren series, works that give form to environmental warnings that are often unseen or ignored.
The Solomon Islands Siren – The Island that Disappeared
Throughout human history, artistic expression has been inscribed onto the landscape, from rock carvings to monumental land art. Yet while over two-thirds of the planet is covered by water, the realm beneath the surface has remained comparatively unexplored as a site of artistic intervention.
The Solomon Islands Siren tells the story of passionate climate activist, Gladys Habu Bartlett, whose ancestral land on Kale Island has gradually disappeared beneath the sea. Over the past two decades, rising sea levels have inundated the island, forcing her grandparents’ family to relocate to the mainland. What was once approximately 50,000 square meters of land now lies beneath the water. A new assessment by the United Nations indicates that global sea level rise is now occurring at twice the rate recorded a decade ago.
Taylor’s sculpture serves as a memorial to that vanished landscape. At its center is a life-size figure of Gladys, symbolic of women in her local community, with her head resting reflectively against a stainless-steel tree. The tree evokes the forests and biodiversity that once flourished on the island, serving as both a memorial and a reminder of what has been lost. More than a monument to disappearance, the sculpture translates an often-abstract environmental phenomenon into a tangible human story. Designed to endure across generations, it becomes a focal point for cultural remembrance and climate advocacy, making visible the slow, often imperceptible advance of climate change.
The figure and tree are inscribed with a series of dates that mark the island’s fate: 2006, when rising sea waters became alarming; 2016, when scientists confirmed the complete loss of Kale Island, among others, to sea level rise; and 2026, the year the sculpture is installed, by which time the island has been fully submerged for over a decade. Additional markings — 2036 and 2046 — project forward, referencing the current rate of sea-level rise, estimated at roughly one centimeter per year in the region.
The Solomon Islands sit in a particularly vulnerable position in the Pacific Ocean. Ocean currents and regional geography combine to amplify sea-level rise, making low-lying islands among the first places where the realities of climate change are felt. Installed in the intertidal zone, the Solomon Siren is designed to look part of the environment and to evolve with its surroundings. The tree offers a resting place for seabirds, while the sculpture’s base, constructed from carbon-captured materials and biochar, is textured to encourage marine life to colonize it. Over time, algae, corals, and invertebrates will claim its surfaces, transforming the sculpture into a living artwork both below and above the waterline.
Like the mythic sirens that warned sailors of hidden dangers, Taylor’s sculpture issues a quiet but urgent call: a reminder of a place that once existed and of the coastlines around the world that may follow.
Jason deCaires Taylor is widely regarded as the founder of the underwater museum movement. An award-winning sculptor, environmentalist, and professional underwater photographer, he has spent the past two decades establishing sculpture parks and museums beneath the waves, submerging more than 1,200 living artworks across the world’s oceans and seas.
His installations address urgent contemporary themes, including the climate emergency, environmental activism, and the regenerative capacity of nature. Functioning simultaneously as artworks and artificial reefs, the sculptures provide habitat for marine life while reflecting on human fragility and our evolving relationship with the marine environment. His figures are frequently drawn from local communities, foregrounding their connection to their own coastal landscapes and reinforcing the social dimension of his practice.
For further information, subscribe to the newsletters and press pack contact:
Click HERE to Connect with your Daily Horoscope on OMTimes!
Visit Our Astrology Store for Personalized Reports
OMTimes is the premier Spiritually Conscious Magazine. Follow Us On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Pinterest, and Youtube
