Courtesy of Parley, Santa Catalina Island.

Cliff Kapono, a surfing biochemist who runs the Surfer Biome Project, is sharing his talents and vision with Parley.

While Kapono is creating content to avoid, intercept and redesign the scientific, film and surfing communities to which he belongs [see here], Doug Aitken is another talented individual who has joined with Parley for the Oceans. Aitken designed Underwater Pavilions, a large-scale installation of three temporary sculptures submerged beneath the water’s surface near Santa Catalina Island.

As a symbol and catalyst for the Parley Deep Space Program, the sculptures provide a portal into the marine realm that ocean swimmers, snorkelers, and scuba divers can swim through and experience.

Parley describes the artwork, “Merging the language of contemporary architecture, land art, and ocean awareness, the Underwater Pavilions are a living artwork with a vibrant ecosystem — one that invites the viewer to author a personal narrative in the exploration and protection of the oceans.

Geometric in design, the sculptures created underwater spaces that were moored to the ocean floor. Part of each structure is mirrored to reflect the underwater seascape and create a kaleidoscopic observatory for the viewer, while other surfaces are rough and rock-like. The environments created by the sculptures constantly changed with the currents and the time of day, focusing the attention of the viewer on the rhythm of the ocean and its life cycles.”

Underwater Pavilions was open to the public as a cultural destination in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California between December 2016 and January 2017.

For more information, visit here and here.

Copyright © 2008-2017 by World Open Water Swimming Association