[TheStoriesOfTop7] Unknown Hometown - Gang Zhao / China - IAPLC 2022

13 June 2024

2217

The first Silver Prize went to the work with its impressive arrangement of driftwood and stones. The motifs of a forest and a mountain stream are similar to those of the Gold Prize-winning work, but in contrast, this work has a dense and unsettled atmosphere. If this atmosphere was intended to express the "unknown" in the title, it can be said that the creator succeeded in his aim. The driftwood at the top creates a tunnel-like composition, which emphasizes the sense of perspective. The driftwood on either side of the layout casts many shadows, but the darkness is reduced by creating moderate gaps so that the aquatic plants in the background can be seen.

[TheStoriesOfTop7] Unknown Hometown - Gang Zhao / China - IAPLC 2022

The third place in the world ranking (Silver Prize) went to the work "Unknown Hometown" by Mr. Gang Zhao of China, which scored total 1,358 points. This work was selected individually as one of the top 10 works by 5 out of 10 judges, and was highly evaluated by Mr. Yu-Fa Huang (Chinese Taipei) and Mr. Andrě Longarço (Brazil). The composition of the work is impressive with its layout of a fallen tree lying in a ravine, and having such a distinctive expression is surely one of the factors for winning the top prizes. The expression of hanging greenery and the use of moss are common in recent entries and are not new, but the compositional power of the drift- wood and stone areas, which could stand alone on their own, and the combination of the two areas, which beautifully expresses depth and power, give this work a unique appeal. The composition is stable and has an impeccable degree of perfection

IAPLC 2022 World Ranking Announcement - World Ranking 0003 - Silver Prize

Unknown Hometown

Author: Gang Zhao / China

Aquarium Size/W120 × D60 × H45(cm)

Aquatic Plants

Riccardia chamedryfolia

Micranthemum sp.

Callicostella prabaktiana

Microsorum sp. 'Trident'

Bolbitis heudelotii

Hymenasplenium obscurum

Eleocharis sp.

Anubias barteri var. nana

Bucephalandra sp.

Hygrophila polysperma 'Sunset'

Cryptocoryne sp.

Elatine orientalis

Sagittaria subulata

Rotala rotundifolia 'Green'

Rotala sp. 'Hra'

Hemianthus micranthemoides

Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides

Hydrocotyle leucocephala

Fish & Invertebrates

Green lotus lamp

Black shell shrimp

AWARDS

World Ranking 0003 Silver Prize IAPLC 2022
1st Place, AGA 2022 Aquatic Garden > 320L

Comments

Actually, after submitting my work, I knew that my participation was more important than anything else, and i thought no one could predict the outcome. On August 27, the long-awaited day of the IAPLC world ranking announcement came. I was very excited. The two emcees were very dignified and elegant as they announced the top 100 in order. Every piece I saw was beautiful, and the 8th place was already announced. As the announcement progressed, I found myself in a somber mood, but my trends encouraged me. The moment the screen switched to 3rd place, to my surprise, I felt the happiest I had ever let in my life. Tears welled up in my eyes and I could not suppress the intense shaking of my feelings. All these years of hard work were not in vain, and I would like to thank the organizer and judges of the IAPLC for recognizing my work. I hope that all of you who love planted aquariums will be able to achieve good results next year.

Comment from Mr. Frederic Fuss

I really enjoyed walking this jungle path.
The idea isn't new but it's beautifully executed.
We find a very large open field in the foreground and a path that reaches very far and disappears behind the horizon. Huge arches reminiscent of lianas hang over the path and everything looks like a very lifelike replica of such a landscape.
I can't really place the title 'Unknown Home' but I suspect that it's about the longing for such a place.
The focus points are well documented we find the passage of the path in the top left the vanishing point is right next to it in the lower right corner of the passage.
In the lower left focus point we find the middle of the path at the top right there is a small passage through where the light shines through. The fish have conveniently placed the head of the shoal at the remaining focal point so there is a lot happening in this image and thus a nice story is told. The materials used together result in an excellent range of colors and the weighting of the individual basic colors is extraordinarily successful.
I share your longing and thank you for showing me this magic place!

Comment from Mr. Andre Longarço

Spectacular what an amazing layout!!
Vigorous full of details good perspective strong shadows and awesome natural atmosphere. All ingredients of a top quality aquascape.
You have my respect congratulations!!!

Comment from Mr. Juan Puchades Rufino

Wow! This tank got my best score in the big category!!! The attention in every single detail is simply perfect. This is no doubt what made me decide it was the best work. Congratulations.

Comment from Mr. Jhonny Vanegas Cardenas

The amount of detail is from other planet. Outstanding way of aquascaping. Thanks for sharing and keep scaping.

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