Art spaces on the ocean floor and colour-changing sculptures that warn the public about rising sea temperatures are some of the highlights of the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA), opening along the Great Barrier Reef this December.
Headed up by British sculptor and marine conservationist, Jason deCaires Taylor, the underwater art gallery aims to raise awareness around the threats facing the iconic natural wonder and will even play its part in the regeneration of coral and marine life in the region.
"Our oceans are going through rapid change, and there are huge threats, from rising sea temperatures to acidification," said Taylor.
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"Part of creating an underwater museum is about changing our value systems - thinking about the sea floor as something sacred, something that we should be protecting and not taking for granted."
The artworks will appear at a number of locations along the mammoth stretch of Great Barrier Reef coastline, including the John Brewer Reef, Palm Island, Magnetic Island and Townsville.
The first artwork, named Ocean Siren, will be a solar-powered sculpture of an Indigenous girl which will change colour according to ocean temperatures, using live readings from the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
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Jason deCaires Taylor has been making underwater sculptures for over a decade, creating the world's first underwater sculpture park in Grenada in 2006, later creating underwater exhibitions in Cancun, Lanzarote and the Bahamas.
His projects have boosted tourism in each of these locations.
Tourism dollars play a huge part in the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef with over two million people visiting the Great Barrier Reef every year. The project aims to increase that number while remaining educationally appealing to locals, scientists and tourists alike.
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To do your part for the Great Barrier Reef, click here and help the old girl become an Australian citizen. After all, she deserves the same rights and protections as every other Aussie.
Topics: Environment, travel, Australia, Citizen Reef