Visitors to the island of Grenada and locals can now enjoy a culturally immersive experience that is fully underwater! The expansion of the Underwater Sculpture Park in Moliniere in St. George's provides that rich cultural experience of playing Spicemas on Carnival Tuesday except that this experience involves snorkeling or diving. The Coral Carnival Edition of the Underwater Sculpture Park showcases the characters of Carnival or Spicemas in their splendor and uniqueness in sculptures that are located underwater.
Brief history
The Molinere Bay Underwater Sculpture Park is the first of its kind in the world. The Park is located at the Molinere-Beauséjour Marine Reserve, opened in 2006. The site is now listed as one of National Geographic’s 25 Wonders of the World. The Sculpture Park is an underwater creative experience. Mastermind and designer is sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor. Jason is of British-Guyanese descent. Jason uses concrete to create his sculptures and then bolts them onto the seabed. This edition of the park contains 75 sculpture works covering an area of 800 square metres. At sea level depths of 5-8 metres, they are accessible by scuba diving, snorkeling and glass bottom boats, with departures from the capital St. Georges and Grand Anse.
A signature piece in this collection is Vicissitudes, which features a ring of children holding hands, believed to be a symbol of unity and resilience. Local interpretations are that the sculpture works are a tribute to transatlantic slave trade due to the structural connections resembling shackles and the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the Middle Passage.
Another signature piece is Grace Reef. There are 16 statues, each cast from the body of a local Grenadian woman and positioned lying down on the seafloor. Interpretations are that the sculptures highlights the diversity of the beautiful women found in Grenada.
View the Sculpture Park here: Film - Underwater Sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor
Coral Carnival Edition
The expansion of the Underwater Sculpture Park was done in 2023 with 31 new sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor and local sculptor, Troy Lewis. The expansion is intended to showcase the cultural richness and pride of Grenada. It features the characters of Carnival including Traditional mas characters and fancy mas characters. There are also folk characters found in folk stories such as Mama Glo and La Diablesse. Unique about this new edition is that the sculptures are painting to reflect the vibrancy of Spicemas.
Source: Spice Island DigiContent
The following are the pictures of the sculptures above the ground, taken at the viewing at Prickly Bay Marina.
Character: La Diablesse done by sculptor, Troy Lewis
The La Diablesse is a beautiful woman who has a cow foot and is known for luring men. She walks the street at night looking for men to lure.
Source: Spice Island DigiContent
Character: Mama Glo, sculptor done by Troy Lewis. Mama Glo is the mother of the river, of African descent. Other versions of the word include Mama D'Leau or Mama D'Lo. Mama Glo is part human and part animal.
Source: Spice Island DigiContent
Characters: Traditional mas players (in order of appearance) - Shortknee, Vieux Corps, Wild Indian and Jab Jab, done by Jason deCaires Taylor. They are forms of protest mas created by our ancestors and can be seen during Traditional mas festival held annually in July in St. Mark.
Source: Spice Island DigiContent
Character: Fancy mas, done by Jason deCaires Taylor. Fancy mas or Pretty mas are a portrayal of beautiful costumes that can be seen on the road on Carnival Tuesday. Fancy mas stems from the plantocracy and is an elite mas involving feathers, plumes, gems and beautiful women.
Source: Spice Island DigiContent
Character: Bélé dancer, sculptor done by Troy Lewis. Bélé dance is a folk dance of European-African origin. It is an infusion of French culture and African culture. The bélé dancer uses a wide open skirt to perform the bele dance.
Source: Spice Island DigiContent
You can check out the newly expanded underwater sculpture park at Moliniere. Book a dive tour with one of the dive operators on island such as Aquanauts Grenada.
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