IAPLC 2023 World Ranking Announcement - World Ranking 0009 - Honor Prize
Rocky forest
Author: Insik Chung / Republic of Korea
Aquarium Size/W120xD60XH50cm)
Aquatic Plants
Riccardia Chamedryfolia
Limnophila sp from Vietnam
Ceratopteris thalictroides
Micranthemum micranthemoides
Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo'
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
Bolbitis heteroclita 'Difformis'
Myriophillum sp from guyana
Rotala nanjean
Blyxa japonica
Fish & Invertebrates
Blue Rainbow
AWARDS
World Ranking 0009 Honor Prize IAPLC 2023
Comments from Mr. Albert Connelly, Jr. (U.S.A.)
Choosing the Grand Prize layout from among such an impressive field of candidates was a daunting challenge, but I feel Rocky Forest distinguishes itself among all the other excellent compositions. This aquascape is a classic yet innovative representation of Nature Aquarium craftsmanship, rising to the level of a true artwork rendered in stone, wood, plants, fish, and water. To my eye, this aquascape places us in a dense wooded area strewn with erratic boulders, deposited in prehistoric times by the movement of glaciers in an ice age long past. Ripped from their native bedrock, these stoic strangers to the earth they lay upon are now themselves ancient elements of the native landscape—so old as to define time, so heavy as to define gravity itself, and surrounded by a lush forest stretching beyond into the distance, full of verdant life and infinite promise. As an aquascape, the achievement is significant. The forest seems to stretch on for quite a distance into the horizon, belying the tank's standard 60 cm depth. The composition of the foreground, midground, and background is at once well defined and seamlessly connected. The boulders are the central focus, but it is the tree trunks, rendered in thick, vertical driftwood branches, that punctuate the scenery, leading the imagination to paint in the rest of the forest stretching on into the distance. The aquatic plants are masterfully arranged. While incredibly varied, they all seem completely natural and in their correct places relative to the rest of the aquascape. The mosses, ferns, grasses, and tall, bushy plants re-create a moment in a quiet forest, perfect for quiet contemplation. That mystical sense of time and place, to me, makes this aquascape stand out as the best of the best, rising above the many sublimely accomplished layouts in this year's contest.
Comments from Mr. Cho Jaesun (AGA 2023)
Perhaps this artwork showcases the artist's individuality and philosophy at its best. It seems to be the beautiful result of the artist's deep contemplation about the Nature Aquarium. It presents a new style almost suggesting the creation of another category within aquascaping. I express my admiration for the artist's passion for emulating nature. Congratulations.
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