Myth Bustin': Grenada underwater sculpture is NOT a tribute to Middle Passage

Vicissitudes Jason DeCaire Taylor Grenada

“Vicissitudes” created by British sculptor Jason DeCaire Taylor. Located at the Grenada Underwater Sculpture Park, it is NOT a tribute to the Middle Passage.

I consider myself someone who doesn’t fall for viral online rumors easily, but it seemed so natural to believe that Jason deCaire Taylor‘s “Vicissitudes” underwater sculpture in Grenada was a tribute to the Middle Passage as it’s been described in many places online. Today, I began doing the research when Do Something’s Facebook page posted a picture of the underwater sculpture with the description, “This underwater sculpture in Grenada is dedicated to the children who died during the sinking of the Bianca C, a ship off the coast of Grenada…” In actuality, both descriptions for Jason deCaire Taylor’s Vicissitudes sculpture are false.

MYTH #1

Vicissitudes, located at the Grenada Underwater Sculpture Park in Molliniere Bay, is “an underwater sculpture in Grenada that honors the African Ancestors that was lost in the sea during the middle passage” (source: MagicBaltimore.com)

MYTH #2

“This underwater sculpture in Grenada is dedicated to the children who died during the sinking of the Bianca C, a ship off the coast of Grenada.” (source: Do Something’s Facebook page, NOTE: Description was corrected after I posted a comment about it being false…while writing this very blog post)

FACT

Vicissitudes as described on Jason deCaire Taylor’s own website:

“Vicissitudes depicts a circle of figures, all linked through holding hands. These are life-size casts taken from a group of children of diverse ethnic background…The figures are transformed over time by their environment, and conversely as this happens so they change the shape of their habitat. This natural process echoes the changes exacted through growing up.” (source: UnderwaterSculpture.com)

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I have to say that researching Vicissitudes has piqued my interest in visiting the Grenada Underwater Sculpture Park to see more of Taylor’s work. Read Taylor’s bio HERE. Read more about the underwater park HERE.

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