Australia

While we all know about the conventional museums found across the world, do you know that Australia has an underwater art museum? Not just that, but a series of underwater sculptures on the Great Barrier Reef have been recently installed in the museum. According to a BBC report, the sculptures located at the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) have a low centre of gravity so that they are able to face the strong oceanic forces in the water.

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The collection comprises eight different art categories with several sculptures. These sculptures have been modeled on Australian citizens who have worked in the fields of marine science and conservation of marine species, leaving a huge impact on the understanding of reef protection. It might also be thrilling to know that one of these sculptures has been modeled after Molly Steer. At the young age of just 9 years, she founded a campaign with the name ‘Straw No More’ which focuses on getting rid of single-use plastic straws. The campaign also helps encourage schools to stop using plastic straws. As a result of their efforts, more than 3,000 schools have joined the campaign and pledged to stop using single-use plastic straws.

These sculptures have been made from low-carbon earth-friendly concrete and reinforced with stainless steel. They are designed such that they can be colonised by the surrounding marine life, and become a part of the ecosystem. It is believed that various species such as corals and sponges will grow on and around these sculptures within the coming few years. This will alter the appearance of the sculptures in unpredictable ways.

One of the users commented on BBC's post, “Future marine biologists are going to be confused as hell."  

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“Archeologists in 3,000 years after discovering an ancient civilisation and reimagining how civilisation works," read another comment.

This unique museum is intended to spread awareness regarding coral reef conservation across the world. In 2020, when the museum first opened, it only featured floating trees, sculptures of children, and coral in planter boxes. In May 2023 other sculptures were added as a part of their third art installation. The ticket prices for the museum begin from Rs. 13,000 per head.

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