- Author: Betty Homer
The latest exhibit at the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco is on Aquascapes. The Conservatory defines an aquascape as "an ecosystem in which every living and non-living item contributes not only to the overall beauty to the aquarium, but also to the chemical and biological balance that allows the plants and animals to thrive."
Although I maintained aquariums as a child, the aquatic plants I included were mostly an aesthetic afterthought with little awareness towards creating an ecosystem. I learned from the exhibit that there was a whole movement beginning in the 1930s with the Dutch, devoted to designing aquascapes which can range anywhere from a 5 gallon tank to tanks holding many thousands of gallons of water. In the 1990s, a Japanese aquarist and photographer, Takashi Amano, elevated the art of the aquascape to a whole new level (google his name to view some of his amazing, awe-inspiring work).
The aquascapes featured in the exhibit, consisted of examples of fish and habitat from North America, South America/the Amazon, Africa, and Asia. However, unlike most botanical exhibits, the Aquascape exhibit was fairly light on education/information, which may be a relief to some; instead, visitors are invited to "imagine [themselves] . . .slowly floating through vibrant underwater forests, swaying with the hair grass, and sheltering in the towering sword plants."
One unusual aspect to this exhibit is that once it concludes, the general public has an opportunity to purchase the aquariums on display. You can begin by making those arrangements now, directly with the Conservatory if you are interested.
For more information, please see: http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/special-exhibits. The exhibit runs from now until April 12, 2015.
http://www.allwonders.com/san-francisco/attractions/conservatory-flowers