# ASE 2011 Aquascapes



## George Farmer (10 Aug 2011)

Check it out.

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjux7i9e

There seems to be a definite European aquascaping style emerging.  Nature Aquarium meets some formality.

What do you think?


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## Garuf (10 Aug 2011)

I recognise a lot of those as being from far eastern posters over on ASW?


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## George Farmer (10 Aug 2011)

No idea mate but a lot seem to follow a blending of NA and formal styles.  That's what's interesting me.  I saw similar at the Hanover contest earlier this year.


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## Garuf (10 Aug 2011)

Either way I definitely hear your point, loud and clear, I think we're finally finding our own aesthetic feet so to speak and learning from our own landscapes language and building and moving on from what amano and the dutch tanks gave us to create an identity of our own or at least for our part of the globe at least, it's an interesting observation as formality historically speaking and from a visual standpoint is much more ingrained in our perceptions of what makes good design and I think it's finally starting to show now we've found a confidence to move on from imitation of Amano's works.


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## George Farmer (10 Aug 2011)

You said it mate - and better than I probably could!


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## GreenNeedle (11 Aug 2011)

I still think the main thing separating Europe scaping from Far East is the use of lighting really.  The white look as if it is a misty day beyond the scape etc.

Maybe something they are begiinning to add into their style as I see it more and more these days in the far eastern setups.

Andy


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## Mark Evans (11 Aug 2011)

Garuf said:
			
		

> I think it's finally starting to show now we've found a confidence to move on from imitation of Amano's works.



It almost sounds like you like the idea garuf? 

Imitation of Amano works? how can you better Nature?

It also sounds like you'd like to pigeon hole everyone. So, for us 'Europeans, we should have our own style you reckon?...So i guess, strictly speaking i can fit into the 'European' look and the 'Asian' Nature style yes?...i am after all half Malaysian   

just because folk live in Europe, why should this mean a new style? the world is one!

So folk that live near the Sahara desert good in actual fact create the most unbelievable land based vista seen in a tank....A pile of sand! 

It's bonkers mate, and many points are being utterly missed.


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## clonitza (11 Aug 2011)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> There seems to be a definite European aquascaping style emerging.  Nature Aquarium meets some formality.
> 
> What do you think?



Well George most of the winner tanks from ASW are coming from Asia 

As I told some folks from a local forum none of the creation there really impressed me, same ol' mountain, forrest, path, island 'scapes, people try too much to capture large lanscapes in their tanks, in contrast with Amanos works in terms of trimming and attention to detail, a real shame, IMHO plants are supposed to be the stars in an planted aquarium not the hardscape, the latter should be only the cherry on top. Hopefully IAPLC will be different this year, I've seen some real nice works here on UKAPS from you guys, Viktor, Mark an you (even with that black background )

Mike


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## Garuf (11 Aug 2011)

> It almost sounds like you like the idea garuf?


I do, I think for too long we've been copying what Amano did rather than learning from the nature that surrounds US, A japanese forest is hugely different from a british forest, which is in turn different to a Croat or Turkish forest, you can replace forest for near enough any element of nature and I think that's starting to show, the demographic of the person isn't important it's what they have learnt from their surroundings. How many people here actually go out and look at nature and take it back to their tanks? Very few I bet, How many see an Amano tank and try and replicate it? Almost all of us.  



> Imitation of Amano works? how can you better Nature?


Here I think you're missing a vital and intrinsic element of Amanos work, they are simply not nature, they are an artistic representation of nature by a singular man based on his very personal observations of nature, the two are not the same, Amano's tanks are like say, a Turner Landscape, simply because the subject matter is "nature" it doesn't make them nature or even natural, it makes them an artistic representation of what they see. By this statement you're implying that Amanos tanks are nature and that this nature is universal to us all, this simply is not the case as anyone who can tell you the difference between say, Wales' Nature and that of the Midlands. A Point you also raise is that "nature" trumps all, which in itself means that any tank regardless of creator is always going to be inferior to the real deal. This is an art form and as such trends are perceivable, it's not a case of pigeon-holing because of the persons birth country, it's identifying common traits in the works, the aesthetic style and their influences and then drawing from it to identify what makes it stand out, if this weren't the case we'd have no impressionists, no russian futurists, no brutalist or no Raphaelites because if you take your point  of view because by differentiating their styles would be pigeonholing.      



> It also sounds like you'd like to pigeon hole everyone. So, for us 'Europeans, we should have our own style you reckon?...So i guess, strictly speaking i can fit into the 'European' look and the 'Asian' Nature style yes?...i am after all half Malaysian


So where do you draw your inspiration? My point here is most certainly not where the person is born or their heritage, this is belittling my point which was simply that where you are in the world affects your perceptions of the world and will influence your representation of it, take for example, Luis Barrigan of Mexico, he wouldn't have used the colours he did through his designs if he was from Basingstoke because the nature and culture around him is so very different we're all no different.   



> just because folk live in Europe, why should this mean a new style? the world is one!
> 
> So folk that live near the Sahara desert good in actual fact create the most unbelievable land based vista seen in a tank....A pile of sand!
> 
> It's bonkers mate, and many points are being utterly missed.


I'd like to hear these other points? 
An irrational point but from the jist of it's intent, yes I think they would interpret what they know as nature into a tank and as such develop a new aesthetic style, I think it would be totally ridiculous to suggest that they wouldn't allow what they know of nature to influence their designs, again this is an art form and subjective to absolutely everyone in it and a very personal interpretation of everything they know about the world that surrounds them. The world may well be one but there are parts of it I will never see and as such will never influence me also by implying it's one this really means nothing, we maybe a common species and we may now be linked via all sorts of technology but ultimately we are the only element of it that are truly linked in a way we can perceive, nature carries on in it's own niches and carries on with the process of surviving long enough to pass on the genes they carry and adapting to the niche as they go, if the world was truly one then a singular species of tree, moss, grass would only need to exist because the niches and variences that make this world so powerfully brilliant wouldn't have even happened.


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## Frosties (11 Aug 2011)

Guys - chill and find a bare tank and scape... I think the point George was making was simple - wow - look nice scapes!!! and they all seem to follow a new style that is very similar to each other... Personaly - I like them... however as mentioned earlier - they are large vistas... so attention to detail like Amano is lost - but the skill is definately there!


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## JamesD (11 Aug 2011)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58711170@N04/5705684292/ - this one is epic


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## viktorlantos (11 Aug 2011)

Very nice tanks. Remind me how i love this hobby 

On the other hand i do not see them different then i see on some large contest like IAPLC. Malaysian, CAU etc tanks has their style which is represented on many contest and represent this hobby. Some maybe bored about it, i do love them. No need to follow any style of course, but some guys find a way to produce stuff which is loved by most of us and the judges on contests. For some reason Asian guys are still ahead of us.

But i had a talk with the IAPLC2011 winner this week and he told me some very skilled scapers from the elite learn planting technics from EU.  So we're not hopeless.


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