Researcher: Molly Williams (MLitt Art History, 2021)
Supervisor: Dr Stephanie O’Rourke
School of Art History
This project by former MLitt student Molly Williams explored how broad themes of art, climate activism, and science intersect within the works of Jason deCaires Taylor. His work is uniquely successful at displacing the tightly held anthropocentric focus that is often present in environmental art because his sunken sculptures also provide a habitable base for reef life to flourish. Molly Williams’ main foci for the project included the fluctuating perceptions of the ocean within art historical thought, the use of the reef as both a medium and a collaborator, and the phenomenological impact of scuba diving on the viewing experience.

Photography: Molly Williams