Underwater Pavilions
Doug Aitken’s monumental work operates as an observatory for ocean life, creating a variety of converging perceptual encounters
Underwater Pavilions is a large-scale installation by artist Doug Aitken, produced by Parley for the Oceans and presented in partnership with The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA). The work consists of three nomadic underwater sculptures, floating beneath the ocean’s surface. Swimmers, snorkelers, scuba divers and marine life can freely swim through and experience the piece.
Geometric in design, the sculptures create underwater spaces synthesizing art and science. Constructed with carefully researched materials, and moored carefully to the ocean floor, they are designed and destined to appear in oceans all around the world. 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 will constantly change with the currents and the time of day, focusing the attention of the viewer on the rhythm of the ocean and its life cycles.
“The moment the first pavilion entered the water, it stopped being a sculpture for me. It became this living system — constantly in flux, constantly changing, whether that’s the sea life entering it, the kelp pushing at it or swimmers interacting with it.”
DOUG AITKEN
Underwater Pavilions engages the living ocean ecosystem as the viewer swims into and through the sculptures, which create reflective abstractions. The work operates as an observatory for ocean life, creating a variety of converging perceptual encounters. The sculptures will continuously change due to the natural and manmade conditions of the ocean, creating a living presence and unique relationship with the viewer. Both aesthetic and scientific, Underwater Pavilions puts the local marine environment and the global challenges around ocean conversation in dialogue with the history of art, inviting the viewer to write a contemporary narrative of the ocean and to participate in its protection.
Photography by Shawn Heinrichs & Mark Cocksedge