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Let's talk aquascaping "the future"

Ooo I love a good debate!

Im pretty new to aquascpaping and even fish - I've only been emersed in it for about 6 months and I will try to do what I can with my experience which generally means copying things I have seen from various aquascapers with varying degrees of success.

As in all things in life true innovation is a very rare thing indeed, hence why Takeshi Amao is so revered. Its the same in all walks of life and these days its so so rare as nearly everything has been done! Someone mentioned Lady Gaga and whether her songs all sound the same to you or not is beside the point, as they are different but in her 'style'. She is however blatantly a Madonna copy cat for this generation, Oasis for the Beatles and on and on.

Obviously I like the music analogy used :lol: although I would prefer to bring in the 7 stories rule, as its more obvious. If you think about anything there is in the world, its all about variations on a theme - the 7 story rule states that there have only ever been seven basic plots, and everything else is based around these, now bring that to aquariums - I'll let you more experienced types answer how many there are but from my mind 7 is about right!

Until there is some amazing discovery in nature or in technology we are all limited to the boundries that nature and technology have set. I have no problem with the forest or cliff scapes or scapes based on real landscapes as people are using their imagination to try and create something artistic and beautiful. If its all about re creating nature then surely as George said everyone into this should be creating biotopes - however I imagine this is much harder as you are limited by the amount of plants etc available. As for recreating a UK biotope again I may be wrong but I've seen one or two of these but they seem very limiting as surely that would mean no HC, etc? and basically a lot of rock!

The future of aquascaping - for me is more affordable nano's leading to more and more people doing it - these amazing tree, path and cliff scapes may not be for the purists but are what will bring new faces into the scene, amazed at what can be achieved. The more people doing it, the more debate there will be and the likely hood that technology will be pushed further along with people's imaginations to create something new. Then either the pro's will have to innovate to stay ahead of the game or some upstart will come along and turn it all on its head!

ghostsword said:
The question should be where does aquascaping ends and art begins.
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Perfect comment from Luis and I suspect it's impossible to answer!
 
I think the next big thing should be a scape planted with algae.
It should be quite a challenge for the top scapers as they don't
seem to be able to grow it as good as the rest of us. :lol:
 
Due to the inherent low cost of the new "nano" aqauriums (as stated by eboeagles) it makes it more affordable to experiement. I believe this will encourage new styles and trends so technology will provide more and more varied aquascapes.
Our inate curiousity drives us forward in most aspects of life, and through trial and error as well as borrowed experience we learn new and exciting stuff.
 
Do we really need something new? Let's face it - we now have two successful styles, the Dutch style and the NA style. Both have their own characteristics and their own aesthetics. Why are we already looking for something new?
Dutch aquariums have been going since way back when and they have had their heyday. The only reason for the Dutch style not being flavor of the decade is - it came about long before we had the internet. And it has a reputation for being a style certain old farts wearing beige cardigans like to do.

On the other side, we have the NA style. It's new. it's internet. It has no rules and it's a brilliant new way for people to express themselves out of their living rooms, through the internet and social media and into the world. And it's even mobile. People pre-grow their plants and participate in contests where tanks are set up and judged in a matter of 48 hours.
Even in ridiculously small vessels you can, by way of good photography, conjure up an image of wideness and lush nature. With photography - rather than home shows - being your channel, you can direct your lens away from the not-so-beautiful corners of your tank and instead focus on that brilliant spot with healthy growth. And of course small means short-lived. You re-scape often and explore new concepts.

Maybe we don't need something new and it's just a matter of waiting until this whole trend dies down. And perhaps we will get back to everybody perfecting their own scape so it will last months or even years before it needs to be re-done. I believe there is a lot to be explored yet in the NA style - Mike hit the nail on the head:

clonitza said:
I'm not sure you can think outside the box if you don't spend your 90% of the time studying (photographing nature for example) and 10% for aquascaping not vice-verse.
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There are a billion themes you can find in nature without having to copy that path of white sand running at 1/3rd into the depth of your tank.

--Stephan
 
I was using Lady Gaga as a way of saying one person's view of 'Art' is different to another's.

On the other side, we have the NA style. It's new. it's internet. It has no rules
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Lol. Its a decade (or 2 old already) Al styles can be on the internet and has no rules? Set a scape up not following the 'golden rules of thirds, triangles etc' and see the replies 🙂 Set it up too symmetrically and you'll have people pulling their hair out in horror 🙂

You will get loads of replies detailing that things are positioned incorrectly and you defo won't rank highly in the IAPLC. lol

Many of those guys in the Far East actually draw or tape lines all over the front glass so they can see if they are 'conforming' while they scape the tank 🙂 Most definitely rules.

I think people are a little confused these days. Like music where hip hop, soul, reggae/ragga and even ballads are classed as R&B (which is actually Rhythm[n] and blues.) People categorise things as they want to these days whether it is actually in that category or not.

If a Rock band does an old swing number it is classed as rock even if they do it in the swing and not rock style. lol

In the same way I see a lot of scapes that I wouldn't call nature but are classed as nature. maybe sometimes by the owner so that it can still be favourable? I have no idea.

Or maybe Nature has progressed a little to encompass absolutely everything that could be perceived as a landscape.

If the latter then there will never be a new style because it will always fall into the scope of NA unless it physically does not resemble a landscape 🙂

Maybe thats the big plan......The survival technique......If a new style starts it is quickly swallowed up as NA 🙂 . lol

Doesn't really matter what you call the styles though. What is key is personality. There will be another Takashi Amano eventually that brings something totally new and then there will lots more people wanting to emulate that.

I think there's loads more to experiment with and trial etc and thats the beauty. However I think if we all have to conform to rules of proportions and triangles then we are very limited.

Andy
 
Let's talk aquascaping "the future"

All valid points. 🙂

Just remember that the rules of thirds, perception, asymmetrical, etc, were not created by Amano or the NA followers.

What some call rules that limit us is actually visible in nature, on architecture, even on literature. It has been going on since the very beginning.

I don't believe that much will change from now on, with the Internet, social media and how easily knowledge is spread, the followers will do what they do best, they will follow.

There will be new techniques coming on, but as was said they may be swallowed by NA.

There are three new ways to Aquascape:
- ripariums
- on wood (as done on ukaps by at least two members), Graeme's being the most amazing I've seen
- incorporating bonsai into the scape, as Filipe Oliveira did last year I believe

Most of the other scapes are a remake of old classics. There are jungles, iwagumis, Dutch and NA. 🙂 small variations, that's all, but basically the same.

Obviously there are few people ahead of the pack, but they do this do a living, scape often and would not be afraid of putting naff stuff out there, those are the ones that will come with something amazing once in a while.






.
 
Speaking of inspiration. For my next project I've chosen these ones:

Detail:
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5953256717_fb14b9414e_z.jpg
5953256569_f5645926a2_z.jpg
Layout (view from above):
5953814032_610b863628_b.jpg

Photos taken last weekend.

Have a nice day,
Mike
 
They are old rules Luis however it is NA that pushes them in this hobby.

Dutch tanks don't use rules of thirds or triangles. they can be very symmetrical. Jungles can be whichever way you design them however I would say Most jungles are either enveloped into NA because they are landscape jungle looking and therefore landscape = NA or they are purely planted tanks. I don't think 'jungle' is really a style of it's own. Might sound strange coming from me when I champion the 'jungle' style so often however personally I think Jungle is just a side description meaning that the style chose has been given a little freedom to grow more. 😉

I freely admit my 'jungle scapes' are pretty much NA scapes with less pampering/pruning and more freedom.

So whilst the rules have always been there and artists have always used those rules it is only NA/Iwagumi that particularly 'enforces' them. Not by saying you must use them but by the 'peer pressure' to conform if something is not in line with the rules.

I personally love it when a scape is symmetrical. I like island scapes when they are slapped dead centre of the tank. Like the one that use the red plants to immitate a fire. Breaks the rules and therefore has it's own impact.

Not that I am a fan really of Warhol nor many of the modern artists that think an unmade bed or loads of grains of rice in a room is Art but they do not conform to any of these rules.

That is the groundbreaker. While you use the rules no matter how old they are then you limit yourself immediately. If you clear yourself of all limits then you can truly create something new.

Whilst ther eis creativity within the NA style I find it is a bit to rigid and people think about the 'framework' of lines, triangles, thirds etc in the planning. They don't envisage their plan and implement it. They already have in their mind the framework' and then they fit their scape into this framework.

I tend to just put a scape together. Sometimes the rules are adhered to, sometimes they aren't. If the are then it is purely accidental. However I am not overly concerned about not fitting in as long as the tank that I see every day si to my liking I don't think it matters if it 'measures up' to any style or ratio or any confinement.

Andy
 
Let's talk aquascaping "the future"

Well said Andy.

It is the peer pressure to conform that stifles the creativity of many.

You are right in saying that even before one starts to plant most already have the thirds, lines and triangles mapped out. I fell on that trap as well. 🙂

One day I looked at the tank and thought, who the hell I am scapping this for?

The same with the Ada ferts, many people use them, just because others do the same!

Freedom is needed.


.
 
Hi all,
I'll start straight away by saying I don't understand aquascaping, aquascaping competitions or know much about design or photography, but I like Mike's Romanian Saxifrage, Minuartia and Thyme inspiration.

I also whole-heartedly agree with Stickleback's:
I personally would like to see more wild and natural looking scapes. The above examples are beautiful but have an air of the formal garden about them. They are more cut flowers in a vase than wild plants. If we want to do something different we would do well taking British woodland as inspiration rather than just copying the Japanese. We need Capability Brown back.
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How about "the Garden House" as an inspiration? it has design elements, and also more naturalistic areas.

<http://www.thegardenhouse.org.uk/explore-garden/photo-gallery/>?

cottagegarden.jpg


cheers Darrel
 
Let's talk aquascaping "the future"

I am now looking to do just biotopes, or a very close representation of how a section of nature looks like. I I document it, keep it for three to six month I will be able to learn from it and in turn teach my kids how a section of the world would look like.

As I speak Spanish and Portuguese most of south America is covered as I will be able to contact local conservation associations and get hard data of how the local river looks like.

Once the kids are bigger I will be able to volunteer for up to three months to work on a conservation charity and learn by direct contact.

But this is what I like, and I am no criticizing others for wanting something else.




.
 
dw1305 said:
How about "the Garden House" as an inspiration? it has design elements, and also more naturalistic areas.
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Interesting. The photo you posted shows a lot of flowers - a resource we do not have in aquascapes. We have colour, but only shades of green, red and brown. We also have texture, habit and size. Actually, this scene would probably lend itself very well to being used as an inspiration in a Dutch style tank.

It also shows another aspect I have been thinking about a lot recently: The fading of colours and fuzzying of textures in the far distance. I think there is a lot to be explored by using fine plants with light greens in the background, like Myriophyllum or similar. You probably need a very deep tank to make this work in the living room, though.

--Stephan
 
Sorry, what?
You've posted this picture on a few threads now I've noticed and not to be rude but I don't get how an orchid next to a tank with a mid-level in terms of quality aquascape is incorporating bonsai, or flowers in a context we would recognise as an aquascape? I mean, feel free to enlighten me but I simply do not see what you're getting at.
 
What strikes me is that in garden design we have numerous styles and directions whereas in aquarium design we only really have two. (Ok, I regress - there are a few more but for the sake of the argument, let's call it two: NA and Dutch).
I have been wondering why that is and I come to the conclusion that it is because an aquarium does not have the necessity to function practically. In other words: Because an aquarium is there for sheer pleasure.

Landscape design has to deal with various aspects of utility and whilst that is a real constraint for any designer, it is at the same time a great guide and, indeed, justification for a design. We don't have that in an aquarium and therefore, creating something (new) is all the harder. People participating in this thread have tried to come up with new ideas but it has been quiet for some time now. To me, that goes to show how hard it is to come up with something so revolutionary new and exciting as Amano has managed to.

I have asked this before and I ask again: Do we need something new already? Are we starting to get bored by repeating variations of the same theme? It seems so. Earlier in this thread I said that I thought that many of the new interpretations were misunderstandings and some people were better off with miniature train sets. While it is not up to me to decide what is aesthetically sound and what is not, it shows that there is a great hunger for something new and cool and the old ways of the Nature Aquarium are getting diversified to an extent where the whole thing becomes far removed from the original idea. Which originally was to represent a snapshot of nature in a poetic, not biological way.

Personally, I think my next door neighbour's japanese garden is a real turnoff because it is badly executed and full of blatant truisms. (Apart from that - it doesn't belong in a provincial German backwater but then again, if it was a great piece of art, why not). The recent trend to copy terrestrial landscapes such as trees, paths and even waterfalls under water is the aquarium counterpart to that. And it documents the helplessness of people on a mission to find something new and exciting. But why do we need that? In the Netherlands, people have for almost a hundred years designed the most beautiful aquariums and rather than looking for something new, they are further developing the style. With new plants emerging rapidly, the Dutch aquarium is a very pure form of aquatic gardening: The focus is on combining plants. IMHO, this is a very difficult discipline which will take me a lifetime to get the hang of.

One more thing about the Dutch aquarium style: They have rules. And this brings me back to what I said earlier: Since aquaria don't have to function like a landscaped plot, everything is allowed: Trees, treasure chests, skulls... you get my drift. So rather than trying to launch a new trend maybe we need to classify the old trends. In NA there could be Biotope, Amano Old School, Creative (Waterfalls are so 2010 - the next big thing will be campfires), Iwagumi (We already have that) and so forth. If we start to apply rules in the same sense that the Dutch do, then we might get somewhere without having to go looking for something new.

My 2 Euro-cents.

--Stephan
 
George Farmer said:
Brilliant post. Thanks, Stephan.
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Agreed :thumbup:

I especially like this;
Stephan said:
...Which originally was to represent a snapshot of nature in a poetic, not biological way.
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I noticed that looking through Amano's older books theres a lot of accompanying text involved that describes his own personal experiences and inspiraions. These aquascapes are almost like 'impressions' or 'memories' of nature.

I think this working process leaves much more scope for the development of the NA style as everyones 'impression' of nature would be different based on their own experience and where they are based geographically.
 
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