Oh...my...God! The above tank is so tacky it's giving my elitist heart severe palpitations! Off with her head!:lol: (in case anyone didn't get the drift, I am joking, hmmmm?)
Here's my critique: If she put that tank together with intention, whatever kind of intention hardly matters, and the finished aquarium fulfills those intentions then it is a success. If it was just put together without much thought going into the selection and arrangement of the contents, I have nothing to say about whether it is a success full aquarium because there is no measure except the fish health and stress levels. It's cute and cheerful and I suspect the fish are not overcrowded or otherwise distressed so I'm sure it's a positive contribution to whatever area it is placed in. It is certainly not high art and is a bit kitschy but seems more celebratory or tongue-in-cheek than true, naive kitsch-art. It is a most individual expression.
Personally, though I find it cheerful, it is not to my taste. My nerves feel a bit jangled by the riotous colors, shapes, and the seeming (again just my personal perceptions and opinions) absence of formal structure or balance in the design. Still, I'd far prefer that aquarium over not having any aquarium or a poorly maintained or overcrowded aquarium.
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My deal is that a good aquarium is set up with certain goals in mind and achieves those goals - the one goal which I am pretty insistent upon is to provide a decent habitat for the fish and inverts. One has intentions and purpose hopefully when they're choosing the tank, filtration, substrate, decor and/or plants, fish, etc. Being mindful of the role each element will play and how they will contribute to your aim in putting it all together will result in better selections and developing a clear, personal style. The more experience you have, the easier it is to be clear about your intentions and focus and sharpen your mindfulness. The sharper your mindfulness, the better you can select and place elements of the aquarium and the better your personal style or your handling of a formal style (Dutch, Iwagumi, El Naturelle, etc.) will be expressed.
I mention fish overcrowding and other forms of distress because I believe that cruelty whether accidental due to ignorance or mistake or because the aquarist doesn't care about the fishes' wellbeing as much as having lots of pretty fish or big fish or whatever detracts heavily from the overall spirit of the aquarium.
And MY goals, focus, attention, taste, what-have-you are concerned with composition, balance, design, ecological balance by integrating natural with artificial elements, the relationship between our internal states and what we create and how the act of creation effects our internal states physiologically or psychologically or spiritually, how aquarium keeping can foster personal development and growth. I believe aesthetics crosses paths with spirituality and psychology.
I've be commented on as "Remarkable, dumb, but remarkable," I believe for my expression of touchy-feely stuff. That's funny and I can understand how far what I'm interested in may be from most people's experience, especially since I haven't got all my concepts and thoughts in order thus having trouble articulating them.
Writing so much, debating so much, defending or revising my positions, and especially reading well thought out posts teaches me a lot and helps my understandings and beliefs to evolve and become better clarified. It is amazingly fulfilling to try so hard and learn so much; fortunately my lifestyle leaves a lot of time for writing and reading while still "having a life."