# The Aqueous Art Movement at Art Gallery



## James Marshall (13 Aug 2010)

*Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

From the weds 3rd to Sunday 7th November 2010, "The Aqueous Art Movement"  consisting of George Farmer, Graeme Edwards, Dan Crawford and myself will be displaying a collection of conventional and abstract aquascapes at the Maverik showroom art gallery, 68-72 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DP.

The venue is open to the public daily between 10am and 6pm, and on Thursday evening it will remain open until 10pm. The exhibition is free to attend and no booking is required.

When the 4 of us first discussed the idea we agreed the scapes should be working examples of the hobby/artform, rather than instantly created display pieces, so most of the aquascapes we plan to display are already growing in.

We hope to bring aquascaping to a wider audiance, and gain it the recognition it deserves as an art form.

It would be great see lots of UKaps people there, if you let us know when you intend to visit we can make sure we will be there.

Cheers,
James


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## John Starkey (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Great idea,do you not think it would have been a good idea to have asked if any members here would liked to have contributed a scape in some form,after all i thought ukaps was a society,surely with a greater range of scapes on display it would have made better public viewing,

just my two penneth,regards ,
john.


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## Gfish (13 Aug 2010)

*Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

James,

Having just posted here for the first time today looking for advice on my own design of a planted tank, and still a relative newcomer, I will look forward to attending this event. I work in London so the Thursday evening should be a possibility.

Well done, I have to say. This is exactly the kind of event this hobby needs and I hope as well as showing your works, you manage to get to talk with many members of the general public who are perhaps sceptical of venturing into this rewarding hobby.

Cheers

Gavin


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## James Marshall (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*



			
				john starkey said:
			
		

> Great idea,do you not think it would have been a good idea to have asked if any members here would liked to have contributed a scape in some form,after all i thought ukaps was a society,surely with a greater range of scapes on display it would have made better public viewing,
> 
> just my two penneth,regards ,
> john.



Fair comment John, i would have loved to have thrown the event open to all UKaps members if I could, but I had to fight tooth and nail just to get the 4 of us accepted. On top of this I don't have the time or skills to coordinate a project of this scale involving any more people. Also, we cannot display a UKaps banner at the event, so although we will of course be able to promote UKaps via word of mouth and flyers, we did not feel it would be fair to make it a Ukaps event and take UKaps funds. We feel that UKaps is more about promoting aquascaping as a hobby and I'm sure the founders and members wil continue do to this admirably.The idea of the Aqueous art movement is to promote aquascaping as an artform, which is why we opted to pay the considerable cost of hiring an art gallery from our own pockets. I hope this goes some way to explain our decisions and that nobody is offeneded by what we have done, we just seek to raise awareness in a new arena.




			
				Gfish said:
			
		

> James,
> 
> Having just posted here for the first time today looking for advice on my own design of a planted tank, and still a relative newcomer, I will look forward to attending this event. I work in London so the Thursday evening should be a possibility.
> 
> ...



Thanks Gavin, it would be great to see you there.
Do make sure to find us and introduce yourself.

Cheers,
James


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## John Starkey (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Hi James,i take your point about the limited numbers and the task in organising a larger event,but feel as a society if we are to move on i feel it should be done as a body and not  four individuals,as for the cost coming out of your own pockets (which may be admirable) i am sure collectively one or two members of ukaps even in these hards times could have found a few bob to help pay the fee,s,after all its all about moving forwards together and keeping members up to date with planned events,isn.t that why we have an events section   , 
regards john.


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## Stickleback (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Brilliant. I look forward to it.

R


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## Garuf (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Fully agree with John, I think it should have been much more transparent in the intentions and outcomes, there are many of us on here who would have killed to have put a scape forward.

The very best of luck with it. Next step the world, huh?


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## George Farmer (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*



			
				john starkey said:
			
		

> Hi James,i take your point about the limited numbers and the task in organising a larger event,but feel as a society if we are to move on i feel it should be done as a body and not  four individuals,as for the cost coming out of your own pockets (which may be admirable) i am sure collectively one or two members of ukaps even in these hards times could have found a few bob to help pay the fee,s,after all its all about moving forwards together and keeping members up to date with planned events,isn.t that why we have an events section   ,
> regards john.





			
				Garuf said:
			
		

> Fully agree with John, I think it should have been much more transparent in the intentions and outcomes, there are many of us on here who would have killed to have put a scape forward.
> 
> The very best of luck with it. Next step the world, huh?


Thanks, John and Gareth.  I'm glad you brought up these important points as they need addressing for the benefit of all of us, some of whom may not wish to post here.

To re-iterate what James has posted, this event is completely exclusive of UKAPS.  It was my suggestion that James post this on UKAPS, to hopefully get some visitors during the exhibition from the UKAPS Membership who see this as a positive move.

I am sorry if any members feel excluded because of this event.  This was not our intention at all.  We work hard on UKAPS to try and promote the planted tank and aquascaping hobby.  Perhaps sometimes the way we do this is not to everyone's liking, but we cannot please all of the people, all of the time, and a balance has to be acheived.

James has worked incredibly hard on this project, so far almost completely on his own.  

Graeme, Dan and I were invited to be a part of it, and we were flattered.  Other members were also considered but due to the reasons stated already by James, this unfortunately was not possible.  Whether or not James made the right decision by inviting us remains to be seen, but we will try our best with the resources and skills we have to promote aquascaping as an art form.

Finally, events like this are not out of anyone's reach.  

Rather than waiting to be invited on to projects, why not start your own.  We all started somewhere.  

It could be something as simple as asking your LFS if they fancy you re-scaping their display tank.  Or submitting an article to PFK.  Or starting your own aquascaping contest.  Get hold of potential sponsors for prizes etc. etc.  Don't wait for things to land on your lap.  

Go out there and do positive stuff to get noticed.


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## a1Matt (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Well said George.

I'll be heading down there (with other LFKC members, thread here) on the evening of Thu 4th Nov.
Looks like the best day\time to go as Dan, George, and James will all be there


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## Dan Crawford (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Thanks George. To make it clear, I was invited by James to show some work at an exhibition that he had planned with some "arty" friends, it's not exclusively aquatic, it's not exclusively UKAPS, we were just invited to do something and we're going to do it. I hope to see some of you there, the more the better!

Let's not make this into something that it isn't, it's about a few people working off their own back to get some aquascapes to a wider audience. This should be a positive thing.


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## Graeme Edwards (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

I was a little dissapointed at the negative remarks that had been posted.

The point is, we are all doing this because we love the hobby. James has created an oportunity to promote aquascaping to a new audiance, for which he is the first to do so, and has worked so hard to make it happen. 
You can all make things happen in this hobby, and as George said, don't wait for it to drop on your lap! 
Perhaps there needs to be more effort on every body's part to promote the hobby, not just a small handful who do things, like what James has orgonised. 
You have ukaps because a small group (the founders) made it happen. You to can make things happen. 

I wish to meet as many of you there as possible AND to promote this art form to people who are still yet to be presented with this new art form.

Cheers.
Graeme.


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## John Starkey (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

My remarks seem to have upset one or two,though not intended to do so seem have been taken down that road,if it had been explained in the first place what the evnt was all about and that it was not a exclusive aquatic art event then maybe I would have been more reserved,and if the event was a more personal event for the people taking part then maybe it should have remained so,
Regards,
John.


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## PM (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Chill aaat! 

Sounds good! Love to see some good tanks in the flesh! I'll try and pop my head in


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## samc (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

great oppertunity guys.

TBH i dont think having loads of ideas would help. too many cooks....

you know what your doing


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## Tony Swinney (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

I'd like to wish you all the very best of luck with this event.

I know how much work goes in to organising an exhibition and its not to be taken lightly.  It can only be a good thing for aquascaping in the UK, and that in turn will be good for ukaps   

I'll be there on the Thursday at least, and really look forward to catching up with you all.

Tony


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## viktorlantos (13 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

i've seen you guys did for Tropica at interzoo. And based on my understanding you do the same now again but now without a giant's help. I can't imagine moving just your tanks to the event how much work really is... a lot!
event like this move the hobby forward and you perfectly represent the art form of the scaping with this team.

good luck guys can't wait to see the photos later on.   
amazing opportunity guys!


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## Mark Evans (14 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

good luck guys. 

It's bit of treck for me, I was tempted to record it, but it's just not possible.


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## James Marshall (14 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Thanks for all your comments guys  
I'm really excited about this, if not a little nervous.

Cheers,
James


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## bigmatt (14 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

pics please!  
Have you been given any ideas as to the setting of the tanks against the other work on show?  I'm intrigued to know if you're tailoring your tanks to the environment and the other stuff on show, particularly the abstract tanks described!
Will you be showing pics of other tanks as well (as these surely count as art!) or just the "live" ones?
GReat work guys - whether it's carrying the UKAPS banner or not it's fantastic to see artistic conventions get challenged!  
Has anyone approached Yorkshire Sculpture Park with a similar concept - they have indoor display places and the nature of the place lends itself to the juxtaposition (long word for a Saturday morning!) of nature and art.  I'm pretty clear that i have nowhere near the kudos or skill of youguys to carry it forward but i wonder what you might be able to develop off the back of this?
Good luck chaps!
Matt


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## John Starkey (14 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Morning all,I obviously wish James and the other guys all the very best,I may have seemed to come across heavy handed with my words but I was not being negative far from it,I just thought that if it was mentioned earlier then members could have helped James in some way especially those members who live close to London,
Anyway all the best and I hope its ammassive success for you,regards,john


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## Garuf (14 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*



> Has anyone approached Yorkshire Sculpture Park with a similar concept - they have indoor display places and the nature of the place lends itself to the juxtaposition (long word for a Saturday morning!) of nature and art. I'm pretty clear that i have nowhere near the kudos or skill of youguys to carry it forward but i wonder what you might be able to develop off the back of this?



I did, you have to already be recognised in your field to even be considered, I got talked out of it pretty quickly though I'm sure if my university could help like they said they could with Chealsea and tatton park then I'm sure I can make it a whole lot more viable. I'd asked a few places in leeds a few months back some where interested but getting commitment and needing to source everything yourself saw of the idea quickly as the last thing I am is rolling in money and industry connections.


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## George Farmer (14 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Thanks for the kind words of support, all.


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## LondonDragon (16 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

I will be there on the Thursday evening with a group of members from LFKC, if you guys need any help setting it up let me know as I do have a few days holiday to kill off and would be glad to help out.


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## James Marshall (16 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Thank for your kind offer of help Paulo  
I will PM you nearer the time should we need anything.

Cheers,
James


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## zig (16 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Very interesting project guys, the best of luck with it, lots of hard work ahead I'm sure. Definitely a first for the UK art market, try and get Charles Sattchi down to spend a few quid


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## James Marshall (16 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Thanks for your best wishes Peter  
Charles Sattchi, now that would be a treat, if not a little intimidating.

Cheers,
James


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## andyh (17 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

I should be able to get there as I work in London a fair bit? Are u all there 4 the full event? I will probably be there in the day.

Hats off to u all for promoting the planted tank scene!


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## Brenmuk (20 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Is there a website for this?
Googling 'The Aqueous Art Movement' doesn't seem to bring anything up that is related.


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## Dan Crawford (20 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*



			
				Brenmuk said:
			
		

> Is there a website for this?
> Googling 'The Aqueous Art Movement' doesn't seem to bring anything up that is related.


No i'm afraid not, it's just a name i came up with.


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## Graeme Edwards (20 Aug 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Dutch courage speaking there Crawford. 

He knows I'm the creative edge within the founders, and wishes he had though that name up. Plonker!!!

Aqueous mean vessile or container that holds water, the rest is self explanitery. 

There may well be some website that could promote the movement, it depends on how this goes.


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## James Marshall (24 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Hi Foks

Sorry I have'nt posted for ages, but the organisation of the exhibition has soaked up all my spare time.

I'm really hope that many of you can make it, and i look forward to seeing you there.
Just to let you know the gallery will be shutting at more like 9pm than 10 on the thursday, I hope this does not affect anyones plans.
I've set up a very basic website for the group of exhibitors.
http://www.aqueousart.co.uk

Cheers,
James


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## jay (24 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

This sound superb, and a great move for the hobby!

I'll definitley be there at some point I'm sure. Going to seem strange going into Shoreditch and not getting hammered


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## Nelson (24 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

hi James,

i notice your site said the 4th is private view.
does that exclude us ?.


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## James Marshall (24 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Hi Neil

No this does not exclude anyone, calling it a private view was a condition placed on us by the gallery in order to get the late opening. Everyone is welcome   

I look forward to seeing you there

Cheers,
James


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## Mawgan (24 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

To my considerable discredit, I haven't visited the forum for yonks but I'm really glad that I did in time to see news of this event!

I certainly aim to attend on the Thursday evening, and hope to meet the exhibitors as well as enjoying their artwork.

Best of luck to you all!  What a great idea!


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## Lisa_Perry75 (24 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Hi guys,

Best of luck for next week. I was hoping to come along but I am flying to Newcastle Monday -Thursday and can't afford train fares to London. Please take plenty of pictures!


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## steveninaster (25 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

It looks possible that I will come for a look on Saturday.  Barnet play Charlton in the FA cup that day and I'm in London for Diwali on the 5th.  

Be great to see your tanks in the flesh.


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## alzak (26 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Hi

There is any chance to find out how many display tanks will be available to see on this event?


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## Dan Crawford (27 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*



			
				alzak said:
			
		

> Hi
> 
> There is any chance to find out how many display tanks will be available to see on this event?


Somewhere in the region of 7


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## Arana (28 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

wahoo! 30mins down the road, wouldn't miss it for the world


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## toadass (28 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Good luck gentlemen.... not long now!! Plenty of pics for those who cant make it


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## misscaretaker (29 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Just to wish everyone luck with this venture! I just wish I could come and see it myself but unfortunately not...


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## George Farmer (29 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Thanks for the kind words of support, all.  

Not long now and frankly I'm getting a bit nervous!   :? 

My Dutch tank needs to grow in a touch more to look its best, so fingers-crossed it reaches its peak at the right time.  I've never had such a challenging 'scape!  

The Iwagumi is relatively easy and looks much better with glassware now.  Just waiting on clear hose now...

I hope to see as many of you there as possible.  Please be sure to introduce yourselves as fellow UKAPS members!

We're open to visitors on Wed 3rd (setting up day so come late afternoon), Thu 4th, Fri 5th and Sat 6th Nov.  

We've already had confirmation that a rep from London Zoo will be attending so who knows - we may be setting up an exhibit there at some point!?

Here's a reminder of the address and more details -  http://www.aqueousart.co.uk/index_files/Page331.htm


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## Luketendo (29 Oct 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Well done guys and an exhibit at London Zoo would be a huge boost, the aquariums there are fantastic.


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## Tony Swinney (3 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Good luck today guys. I'm sure the appreciation of the gallery visitors over the next few days will make all your hard work very worth while      

See you there, either today or tomorrow.

Tony


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## Gfish (3 Nov 2010)

*Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

I hope the tube strike in London doesn't affect numbers today too much. You may have a quiet start today and be very busy tomorrow though. 
I hope to get there myself, but not sure what day yet.
Cheers
Gavin


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## LondonDragon (3 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Tomorrow evening should be busy hehe 

See you there tomorrow


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## Arana (3 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

I'm charging up the digicam as we speak


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## Stu Worrall (3 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

good luck guys, hope it goes really well.  Would have loved to come down but its a bit yonder for me


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## LondonDragon (3 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*



			
				stuworrall said:
			
		

> Would have loved to come down but its a bit yonder for me


Now you know how we feel when events are held at TGM!


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## Stu Worrall (3 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> stuworrall said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


  too true paulo!


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## CKPeter (3 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Hello to everyone,

I'm new here, but not in the hungarian Aquatic Plant forum (akvakertesz.hu). Anyway tomorow I will fly to London and just now I received the information, that there is going to be such a great exhibition there. So if there is no delay with my flight see U in the evening at the exhibition. I'm really looking forward to see all the aquariums.


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## George Farmer (3 Nov 2010)

Come and see us, from tomorrow, Thu 4th Nov to Sat 7th Nov! 

Featuring 8 fully matured planted aquascapes.

http://aqueousart.co.uk/index_files/Page331.htm

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/c ... p?sid=3326

Tony in action.  Many thanks for his assistance in setting up.


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## Arana (3 Nov 2010)

Looks Good George, see you tomorrow


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## George Farmer (3 Nov 2010)

Thanks, Mark. 

Look forward to seeing you and putting a face to the name!


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## Arana (3 Nov 2010)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Thanks, Mark.
> 
> Look forward to seeing you and putting a face to the name!



What! you don't remember the blonde good looking one at the very first TGM meet...gutted


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## Garuf (3 Nov 2010)

That was me... 

Looking forward to seeing the scapes up on here. Wish I could travel down, good luck!


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## John Starkey (3 Nov 2010)

I hope it all goes well guys,and that the response form the public is a positive one,
regards,
john.


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## Steve Smith (4 Nov 2010)

Best of luck guys   Look forward to some photos!


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## Sif (4 Nov 2010)

Can anyone tell me what the exhibition opening hours are please?  The page linked above only mention the 6-9 slot tonight.


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## ghostsword (4 Nov 2010)

The site looks great, some of the wording from the artists are funny.. Very poetic, very arty.. Just as well I packed my dictionary with me when I come to work.


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## Gfish (4 Nov 2010)

Luis
Are you there tonight? I'm heading over after work too.
Be good to meet you. 
Looking forward to seeing the scapes as well as meeting you all.
Cheers
Gavin


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## a1Matt (4 Nov 2010)

Thought I'd get in first   

I just got back from the gallery tonight.
I am happy to report it was packed, saw a few familiar faces, but it was mainly the trendy shoreditch crowd in there.  I think this is great as it proves that the tanks have mass appeal.

The tanks looked immaculate, the scapes were, as expected, top notch.

It all came together nicely IMO.

Congratulations guys. Big round of applause


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## Arana (4 Nov 2010)

Videos coming in about half an hour


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## LondonDragon (4 Nov 2010)

Just got back from the gallery, very nice evening, some great people there, met the crew from Aquajardin also  didn't spot you Mark, where were you hiding???


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## Arana (4 Nov 2010)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> Just got back from the gallery, very nice evening, some great people there, met the crew from Aquajardin also  didn't spot you Mark, where were you hiding???



I was there for about an hour and half mate. i did ask george to point you out so i could introduce myself but we couldn't find you at the time, i was probably standing right next to you at somepoint  

Videos uploading now but youtube being a bit slow


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## Themuleous (4 Nov 2010)

There is a small possibility I could pop into London on Sat for a visit.  Are you guys there all day every day?

Sam


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## Nelson (4 Nov 2010)

brilliant guys.couldn't believe how busy it got   .


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## LondonDragon (4 Nov 2010)

Some quick snaps with the compact!!



















































Enjoy


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## Arana (4 Nov 2010)

Here's the first of the 2 videos, the long one is still uploading 400meg to go!

Love the rock in this one  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVDnQ3BckV4


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## Arana (4 Nov 2010)

Great photos Paulo


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## mlgt (4 Nov 2010)

It was a lovely set up and great to finally meet and greet fellow ukaps members.

I will upload a few pics later too


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## Piece-of-fish (4 Nov 2010)

Superb event. People seemed to love it. It was nice to meet Graeme, George, James, and others. Tanks are a beauty. Some great equipment there. Led lights and DIY light fixture from James are amazing. Thanks a lot for a great evening.


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## Arana (5 Nov 2010)

OK here's both the videos together  

The Aqueous Art Movement Exibition in London 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXHlfi-vows


The Aqueous Art Movement Exibition in London 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVDnQ3BckV4


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## Gfish (5 Nov 2010)

I visited the event last night and met up with a few friendly names. Great to meet you all and it was really inspiring to see the works on show and the appreciation they received from the variety of folk there. 
I hope you all manage to sell the tanks at their prices, but for future I think perhaps one largish one should be raffled and the rest auctioned. This should be advertised. You'd get a huge attendance for an auction I think. 

I do hope the event repeats itself and/or is the start of similar exhibitions elsewhere. And I really hope there are more tanks to view down the line. Maybe some larger ones 

Well done gents. Hats off to you all.

Gavin


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## ghostsword (5 Nov 2010)

It was an amazing setup. As said before, the light fixture and led's from James were just amazing. 

Also, I believe that the pictures do not do justice to some of the scapes. 

George's scape the one with the rocks and hairgrass, I had seen it on the forum journal, and didn't fancied much, but seeing it in front of me I the detail of the grass growing in between the rocks, the healthiness of the plants and the layout of the rocks cannot be conveyed by the camera.





The scape looked just amazing, the attention to detail was just mind-blowing.

That is a great scape, maybe one of the best I have seen. 

However for me, and again the photos are not doing justice to it, the scape that definitely broke new grounds is this one:




This is maybe the scape of the year. Why didn't I thought of that! 

Great work, it was a very pleasurable evening.


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## John Starkey (5 Nov 2010)

Hi Guys well done it sounds like it is going very well indeed,the tanks look amazing well done on the pics Paulo,

very well done fella,s   ,
regards,
john.


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## mlgt (5 Nov 2010)

Heres some pics from me.


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## Mawgan (6 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

True to form, I failed to pitch up to the gallery on the Thursday evening as I had hoped to do.  Instead I went along on Friday afternoon and caught the exhibition at a quiet moment. This was much to my advantage as I was able to take in all the aquascapes at leisure, and without hundreds of bodies getting in the way!  I was also able to trap James, George and Graeme in conversation and learnt a great deal, as ever.

The displays were excellent and imaginative, presented in incredibly pristine condition, and a credit to the guys.  Much kudos to James for persevering with such a brave venture - I hope it succeeds in creating greater awareness of the scope to consider our interest as an art form.

As I left quietly much later, our intrepid gurus were sitting cross-legged in the centre of the gallery, a strange light enveloping them as they exchanged words of wisdom and insight almost incomprehensible to mere mortals...


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## Graeme Edwards (7 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Hi all. Just a quick post from me, as I am totally warn out from this weeks adventure.

Ive just got home from a 4 hour drive from the gallery. Substantially lighter in my finance, drained of all energy, emotionally wiped and on a come down. I had a bit of a disaster today. As we broke the displays down, I tripped and fell up the stairs, breaking my nano tank. Shortly after this I came out to find my car about to be towed away by the local parking attendants. 

The experience was overwhelming on the big night. The real high light of doing this promotion of our fine hobby, was that we were taking it to a whole new audience. This was the sole aim of the show. To show people who we know could and would appreciated what we were trying to do. Open the eyes of the wider public. And they were blown away, thats no joke. 
In my opinion, doing this art exhibition will fire the hobby/art to another level. A true success.

I would like to thank all the people who came down and help out setting up, breaking down and supporting what we have been doing. Ed, Ricky, Paulo, Matt and Tony. Cheers guys. Thanks to the London boys for dropping by and to any other new faces and potentially new ukaps member.

I hope that you can all see what we have been trying to do this week and appreciate how much effort and hard work it has taken to show your hobby to a new audience.

Lastly, we all have to thank James Star Marshall and his trusty side kick Jenny for making this happen, thanks to the great contacts and links they have in London and the art fraternity. With out these two, it would never of happened.

I will post some pictures in the next few days, once Ive settled back into work and home.

Cheers.


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## Tony Swinney (7 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*



			
				Graeme Edwards said:
			
		

> I tripped and fell up the stairs, breaking my nano tank. Shortly after this I came out to find my car about to be towed away by the local parking attendants.



Gutted for you mate, that is most unfair after all the efforts you've put into the exhibition.

Sorry I couldnt get along to the Thursday night soiree, but it was great to see you all on Wednesday, and see the exhibition taking shape.  I'm quite sure that over the 4 days you've opened the eyes of many non-aquascapers to the possibilities of planted tank displays, and that can only be a good thing for the UK scene.

The effort you guys made in prepping tanks over the previous months, transporting them to London from all over the country, arranging, collating and promoting the exhibition itself is quite amazing, and is a true credit to your love of the hobby.  Well done   

Here's a few snaps from Wednesday...


























































Tony


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## mlgt (7 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

It isnt that all bad Graeme. (heres the joke).....

You got a Souvenir in the form of a yellow envelope on your car from London  

It was indeed bad luck mate. However all the hard work you guys put in has enabled UKAPS and aquascaping thrusted into a whole new light for everyone who attended.

You guys deserve a big pat on the back for all the hard work.


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## Themuleous (7 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Well done everyone  looks to have been a top quality event.  Massive shame I couldn't get down there myself.

Sam


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## viktorlantos (7 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Well done guys. Amazing aquariums, beautiful presentation. Well deserved success.  
Brilliant photos Tony, thank you for sharing these.


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## flygja (8 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

I see that the Fluval G series filter is part of the aquascape and has to be placed outside the cabinet. The other brands must hide in cabinets


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## George Farmer (8 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

What a week?!  I'm exhausted but will post some more pics soon.

Many thanks to Tony, Paulo, Matt, Edward, Ricky etc. who all helped with setting up and breaking down.


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## Arana (8 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Yeah great job guys  , in case anyone missed the videos in the oyter thread here they are again  

The Aqueous Art Movement Exibition in London 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXHlfi-vows

The Aqueous Art Movement Exibition in London 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVDnQ3BckV4


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## toadass (8 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Great job guys well done! Looks like there will be more aquascapers on the way after that excellent display....... Superb


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## blue_cortina (8 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Well done on an excellent display - Three of us from work travelled into London on Thursday for a look and a chat. It was very impressive and look forward to the next. Spent the evening looking at nano tanks for sale!


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## George Farmer (9 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

My personal favourite; James's triptych, "World's Apart".





Followed by Graeme's concept piece -


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## James Marshall (9 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*

Hi folks

Well what a week that was, exhausting yet very satisfying.
Thank you all for your support, in particular Tony, Paulo, Matt, Edward, Ricky etc who helped with set up and breakdown.
A huge thank you goes to George and Graeme for helping me to realise a long term dream, had I not met these excellent chaps and seen they were capable of moving live aquascapes across the country, the event would not have happenend.

I hope we have acheived our goal of presenting aquascaping to a wider audiance and in particular opened the eyes of  the art world to what all of us scapers do.

It did seem a bit strange at times, following an artisit's template rather than a scaper's. 
For instance writing mission statements in keeping with the other exhibitiors and pricing our work with the formula they used. Still, it was all necessary in order to properly present our artform to other artists.

I hope those of you who visited had a good time and felt it was worth attending.

I'll post some photos soon.

Cheers,
James


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## Mirf (9 Nov 2010)

mlgt said:
			
		

> Heres some pics from me.



This is the one that does it for me, it's simply stunning.


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## George Farmer (9 Nov 2010)

I've merged the two seperate 'gallery' topics into one.

I'll get some more pics and a video up soon.

Thanks again for all the feedback!


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## George Farmer (9 Nov 2010)

*Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery*



			
				Mawgan said:
			
		

> True to form, I failed to pitch up to the gallery on the Thursday evening as I had hoped to do.  Instead I went along on Friday afternoon and caught the exhibition at a quiet moment. This was much to my advantage as I was able to take in all the aquascapes at leisure, and without hundreds of bodies getting in the way!  I was also able to trap James, George and Graeme in conversation and learnt a great deal, as ever.
> 
> The displays were excellent and imaginative, presented in incredibly pristine condition, and a credit to the guys.  Much kudos to James for persevering with such a brave venture - I hope it succeeds in creating greater awareness of the scope to consider our interest as an art form.
> 
> As I left quietly much later, our intrepid gurus were sitting cross-legged in the centre of the gallery, a strange light enveloping them as they exchanged words of wisdom and insight almost incomprehensible to mere mortals...


Thanks for the kind words, David.  It was an absolute pleasure to meet you.


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## mlgt (9 Nov 2010)

Thumbs up for the photography lesson 
I should have recorded George & Paulo lifting the tanks up the stairs and added benny hill music


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## Piece-of-fish (9 Nov 2010)

:text-+1:  Special thanks for the photography lesson George. Cant describe how valuable that was. Good luck in the future with your art project guys.


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## George Farmer (9 Nov 2010)

Glad you enjoyed the photography!  It's almost as much fun as the aquascaping, especially when you can get others involved.


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## mlgt (9 Nov 2010)

Definatly. Very fun and good to see the difference from old photos and whats been learnt.
I will be implementing the skills for future tank shots


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## ghostsword (9 Nov 2010)

Photo lessons??!!? Damm, I missed that one..  

Maybe setup a workshop in London to learn about photography? Charge a small fee and all win.


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## George Farmer (9 Nov 2010)

ghostsword said:
			
		

> Photo lessons??!!? Damm, I missed that one..


Sorry you missed that one, Luis.  It was quite an impromptu affair on the Saturday afternoon whilst the gallery was relatively quiet.


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## LondonDragon (9 Nov 2010)

I just point and shoot with my compact now, at the size posted in the forum you can hardly tell the difference between the compact and the high end cameras lol


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## ghostsword (9 Nov 2010)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> I just point and shoot with my compact now, at the size posted in the forum you can hardly tell the difference between the compact and the high end cameras lol



 that is true.. But would be nice to know how to use the camera correctly for a start.. 

Also, the low res of the images we have on the forum does not do justice to the quality of work the tanks are. George's Iwagumi is an example. 

It looks nice here.. but way better in front of  you.


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## a1Matt (10 Nov 2010)

Did anyone else notice that on the Thursday evening all the other galleries in the street (and there are quite a few on that street) were empty and this one was a full house with people spilling into the street?

Does not get much better than that in my opinion


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## James Marshall (11 Nov 2010)

a1Matt said:
			
		

> Did anyone else notice that on the Thursday evening all the other galleries in the street (and there are quite a few on that street) were empty and this one was a full house with people spilling into the street?
> 
> Does not get much better than that in my opinion




A few people have said that now, and it's really encouraging to hear  

The gallery owners estimate that between 1200 and 1500 people visited on the Thursday night alone.

Cheers,
James


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## a1Matt (11 Nov 2010)

I am glad others picked up on it too!
Considering the size of the gallery, those numbers are phenomenal.


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## James Marshall (15 Nov 2010)

Here are some more photos from the exhibition. I'll add more soon.
http://www.aqueousart.co.uk/index_files/Page507.htm

Cheers,
James


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## Mark Evans (15 Nov 2010)

great stuff. 

James, your work really shines here.   

Inspired, i may try something similar in the midlands. backlighting heaven in a public space....what could be nicer


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## James Marshall (16 Nov 2010)

Thank you Mark   

I'm really glad you are thinking of doing something similar  , I think our excellent hobby/artform deserves to be moved into the public eye wherever possible.

If you want any info on how we organised our exhibition e.g compiling mailing lists for invites etc, just send me a PM and I'll give you my phone number.

Cheers,
James


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## John Starkey (16 Nov 2010)

Very nice photography james,
regards,
john.


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## ghostsword (16 Nov 2010)

a1Matt said:
			
		

> I am glad others picked up on it too!
> Considering the size of the gallery, those numbers are phenomenal.



It was packed..  

That was the reason why I left early, as I struggle with claustrophobia being on a such a enclosed space with that many people was hard..


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## James Marshall (16 Nov 2010)

john starkey said:
			
		

> Very nice photography james,
> regards,
> john.



Thanks John  

I can't take all the credit, a lot of the photos were taken by George.

Cheers,
James


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## Graeme Edwards (19 Nov 2010)

Better late than never. 

I thought I would share a few photographs from my perspective. Not a lot different from James and Georges.

Hope you all like them.

*Out side the gallery.*



*This is my piece.*

*Showing the scale. Shirt - models own.*





*The big night.*




Cheers,
Graeme.


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## George Farmer (23 Nov 2010)

Nice shots mate!

Here's a (shaky) video -


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## viktorlantos (24 Nov 2010)

Brilliant video! So nice to see these tanks guys. Congratulations again to this event and especially to the tanks you all created.

Can you remind me what light you used above the 3 pico tank? I am looking forward to something similar. Looks lovely there.


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## James Marshall (26 Nov 2010)

Thanks Viktor  

The bulbs used on the 3 cubes were 7watt LED replacements for the GU10 halogen spotlamps.
Because they have a fairly narrow beam it meant they could be placed a good height above the tanks without significant loss of PAR.

Cheers,
James


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## russchilds (26 Nov 2010)

Great video - really gutted I missed this. The tanks all looked amazing!!


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## George Farmer (26 Nov 2010)

russchilds said:
			
		

> Great video - really gutted I missed this. The tanks all looked amazing!!


Thanks, Russ.  

Sorry you missed it, but we think there's scope for more events like this, especially in London, so hopefully they'll be another opportunity for you.   

There's nothing to stop other keen aquascapers doing the same/similar either, it doesn't have to be the Aqueous Art Movement.

The more folk that get involved with promoting this great hobby and art form the better!


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## viktorlantos (26 Nov 2010)

James Marshall said:
			
		

> Thanks Viktor
> 
> The bulbs used on the 3 cubes were 7watt LED replacements for the GU10 halogen spotlamps.
> Because they have a fairly narrow beam it meant they could be placed a good height above the tanks without significant loss of PAR.
> ...



Thank you James


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