Angel Azul

An Artist Creating Artificial Coral Reef

Angel Azul tells the story of one artist's inspiring attempt to draw attention to the perilous situation coral reefs currently face worldwide. Jason DeCaires Taylor is an eco-sculptor who casts cement statues from live human models and installs them on the ocean floor to create an artificial coral reef. The story follows the making of an angel, a symbol of hope, with wings made from live fan coral. She will reside in an underwater museum alongside 400 of Jason's statues located off the coast of Cancun in the National Marine Park, El Museo Subacuatico De Arte (MUSA). Over time the statues grow coral, provide habitat for marine life and a diversion for tourists, offering the natural reefs a reprieve from heavy usage. But when the coral that has been growing on the statues starts to die, issues related to waste water pollution and rising sea temperatures become evident. Through local experts and scientists in the field, the full scope of the problem is revealed. Jason faces his own problems in keeping his workshop afloat, but never tires from his efforts to spread the message about this valuable ecosystem that is in grave danger of disappearing completely if steps are not taken to prevent its demise. Through the hauntingly beautiful underwater world created by this incredible eco-sculptor, we are reminded that everything connects.