Graeme Edwards
Founder
For me, from the first time I set to on an aquascape, it has been about art and nature. The two influence each other and nature, knowingly or not has influenced the great artists of the past.
My view and still is, is that all you need to do is look at how nature presents its self. Iwagumis can look very bad indeed if the creator has not got a feel for how stones sit, which often results in a clumpy top heavy scape.
I am always looking at at gravel washes, fallen trees, how the biotic retake the abiotic to be their own. Its a study of nature that I love so much, to the extent that my career and education reflect this.
I think it is cultural and individual. I grew up being dragged to mountains and lakes, I grew up exploring nature, but my culture is not of an earthly type. The UK does not talk about nature, its rhythms or now we are intrinsically linked to it, and how we are all locked in the web of life. Its talked about on TV and thats where people interests end. The Japanese and more so Chinese are built on ancient connection and respect for nature through their religion. This is deep seeded, which in my opinion is why we see such strong scapes come from the far east. They also have some advance in time on us in terms of experience with scaping.
The US is a new country by many standards with views on nature that, from this part of the pond are more about exploitation and gain than respect for nature. This is purely how the US comes across to me and I know there will be exceptions to the rule. I wonder how the native American Indians would be at scaping, I would imagine very well and very deep and meaningful.
Its cultural and learned in my opinion.
My view and still is, is that all you need to do is look at how nature presents its self. Iwagumis can look very bad indeed if the creator has not got a feel for how stones sit, which often results in a clumpy top heavy scape.
I am always looking at at gravel washes, fallen trees, how the biotic retake the abiotic to be their own. Its a study of nature that I love so much, to the extent that my career and education reflect this.
I think it is cultural and individual. I grew up being dragged to mountains and lakes, I grew up exploring nature, but my culture is not of an earthly type. The UK does not talk about nature, its rhythms or now we are intrinsically linked to it, and how we are all locked in the web of life. Its talked about on TV and thats where people interests end. The Japanese and more so Chinese are built on ancient connection and respect for nature through their religion. This is deep seeded, which in my opinion is why we see such strong scapes come from the far east. They also have some advance in time on us in terms of experience with scaping.
The US is a new country by many standards with views on nature that, from this part of the pond are more about exploitation and gain than respect for nature. This is purely how the US comes across to me and I know there will be exceptions to the rule. I wonder how the native American Indians would be at scaping, I would imagine very well and very deep and meaningful.
Its cultural and learned in my opinion.