 |
| Quest About Us Articles Plants Gallery Tech Resources Outreach Home |
|
2003: 2002: 2001: 2000:
|
Q U E S T 6 / 22 / 00 monthly bulletin of the Madison Aquatic Gardeners Summary of the 5 / 25 / 00 meeting Attending: Tim Brown, Val Walasek, Pat Cannon, Andrea Diss, John Glaeser, Matt Hirvonen, Jan Hoffman, Linda Horvath, Victor Marsh, Melissa Maurer, Joel Redman, Dave Stalowski, Keith Strade, Mark Subramanian and Rebecca Grossberger. Welcome to first time visitors Mike Clayton, Wim Van Drongelen, Ingrid Van Drongelen, Sheila Johnson and Mark Sievers, Mick Willoughby. Apologies to one individual who didn't sign the roster list and whose name I didn't get. After welcoming our guests we urged the group to introduce themselves to our new friends a little later during the break and after the meeting. Individual project updates and Q&A activities happened later on during the open forum part of the meeting. The Presentation: Arranging the Aquarium Space John Glaeser Through the years, designers in the areas of visual arts and architecture have used a special proportion identified by the ancient Greeks. It is called the Golden Section. This is a ratio of 1 : 1.618 or roughly 3 / 5. It evokes an inexplicable sense of harmony. Using this ratio can help establish a dynamic basic spatial structure. John used two large charts to illustrate how plants, rocks or driftwood can be positioned to define the 3 / 5 division of space. This first decision is like a keystone. As spatial development proceeds, secondary areas can be divided into 3 / 5. This provides an echo, a fine way to introduce harmony within a dynamic arrangement. Being familiar with different aquarium plants helps one visualize an artistically composition. Make simple sketches to discover a layout. Some use large paper to make an actual sized layout drawing. John showed a large illustration of how cutout paper shapes of plants and driftwood can be moved around to discover compositional arrangements. One design approach has a forest of plants arranged along the sides and back of the aquarium. This provides a security thicket for the fish. The front remains a relatively open. It is the ideal place to see the fish as they come out to feed. Plants, decorative roots and rocks positioned in this area can tie into the established thickets. Some Takashi Amano publications in our library show nice examples of diagrams and planted aquariums. Check out these three titles: Nature Aquarium World, Aquarium Plant Paradise and Aqua Journal Vol.34. Andrea shared observations of different aquarium styles: The Dutch, the Oriental and the American. It seems the Dutch started the idea of the planted aquarium. It is regarded as a lush garden, which is carefully tended. Artistically arranged groups of contrasting shapes, sizes, textures and color presents a harmonious array. Generally, this approach is relatively low tech. Fish are a minor but supporting feature. With-in the European tradition there is the German style. Plants are emphasized but are allowed to grow a little more without the continual pruning and replanting characteristic of the Dutch approach. The German style provides for a larger fish load. In order to accomplish this they have developed very technical filtration and nutrient strategies. They are known for a high tech approach. The Oriental model popularized by Amono is strikingly different from the European model. The ideal is the miniature artistic analogy of the larger wilderness realm. The mountains, hills, meadows, forests and wetlands are the inspiration. The power of the understatement prevails. Relatively few plant species are combined within a composition. Frequently, jutting rocks are used to allude to a landscape vista. The American style is regarded as eclectic. In extreme instances, the style is one of uncontrolled crowding. In a pejorative sense, this is a reflection of a culture obsessed with the accumulation of lots of things. It does not show the fastidious attention to detail of the Japanese and Dutch. In the Spring 2000 issue of Planted Aquaria Magazine, Karen Randal refers to the style as the overstuffed chair approach. I like the heavily planted aquarium. Plants become the filter. Higher plants out-compete most algae for nutrients. With a reduced nitrogen cycle, more oxygen is available for the fish. Overcrowding is a potential distraction in this approach. As time permits, I prune and harvest. This helps to maintain the harmonious whole, an intriguing jungle paradise. Andrea enjoys using techniques of theater stage design. One example is using foreground plants that one can peer through. This provides a certain sense of discovery and spatial depth. New members Wim van Drongelen and Ingra are from the Netherlands. How about a slide show of Dutch aquariums? Wim said he would try to contact some experts in this field. Getting some slides of master aquariums would be very nice, if possible. There is a chance Wim can get something together later this year. New member Mike Clayton from the UW Botany Department has offered to help us in the area of projection technology for presentations. In his classes he uses a system involving computer-stored images displayed on a LCD panel attached to an overhead projector. Also, he noted our desire to develop skills at making photo documentation of our aquariums. Mike has a digital camera available. He has offered to let us use this now and then. Thank you Mike. New member Mark Sievers who works at Promega, says they have some excellent meeting facilities with advanced projection technologies. He will look into the availability of using their facility some time for a future meeting. Dave Stalowski also works at Promega. He mentioned to me the other day that Promega is in the process of installing a beautiful oriental garden and pond complex. Seems like a great club field trip when they get it all installed. Victor Marsh, our web site manager encourages us to check out our site at http://www.ivwebworks.com/index.html . It has great plant links and a forum for questions and answers. Once we get comfortable with this vehicle, it could provide a great Q&A exchange opportunity for the membership. We will have hard copies of our most current membership roster for next meeting. Reminder to all of us: Keep thinking of future presentation topics. And, keep bringing in ideas of how we can improve our organization.
|