Re: Judgeing Guidelines

["Mortimer Snerd" <n9720235@cc.wwu.edu>]

All,

Here are the guidelines I recently mailed to James (before this particular
discussion started).  This is mostly the email that is posted on the web
page, so if you've seen it before, feel free to ignore this post.  Also, the
last part of the message is a little outdated, so feel free to ignore it or
modify it as you see fit.

They are
> essentially the same as those Amano uses on page 29 of Aquajournal Vol 34
in
> his judging of his emloyee's tanks.  There are 5 categories, each worth 20
> points, for a total of 100 points.  They are:
>
> 1. Composition
> 2. Balance
> 3. Space useage
> 4. Concept
> 5. Condition of aquatic plants
>
> My thoughts on how to define each of these:
> 1. Composition: How well is the tank laid out overall?  Is it visually
> pleasing?  Is the concept executed in a way that fits with the ideas and
> goals of the tank?  Do the plants selected contribute to the overall
layout?
> 2. Balance: Not sure how to define this one.  I'm thinking it looks at
where
> the optical center lie in the tank, and whether it fits with the goals of
> the tank.
> 3. Space useage: Just that.  How well is space used in the tank?  Are
there
> open spaces where there need to be ones, or do they feel like holes in the
> aquascape?
> 4. Concept: Is there a theme to the tank?  Are all the parts of the tank
> integrated into a greater whole, or do the plants look like they were
thrown
> in willy-nilly and the aquascaping done by accident?
> 5. Condition of aquatic plants:  How do the plants look?  Are there signs
of
> deficiencies or stunted growth?
>
> I realize these categories are kind of esoteric and Art-Heavy.  I think
they
> need modification to work in the capacity we are thinking of, but they
> provide a place to start.  I also acknowlege that I tend towards a
> Japanese/Amano school of thought in aquascape design, and that these
> categories do show some bias towards that.
>
> I think that the issue of plastic plants and decorations is addressed in
> these criteria.  First, a tank with plastic plant will clearly lose a
number
> of points on the "Condition of aquatic plants" category.  Also, because
they
> are ugly, they will tend to mess up the balance and composition of a tank
by
> drawing the viewer's eye to them, rather than allowing it to see the tank
as
> an uninterrupted whole.
>
> While there is a clear bias towards live plants, I don't feel that these
> guidelines are terribly unfair, given that this is an aquascaping
> competition and the above are all elements that influence how a layout is
> perceived.  I hope this better illustrates what I am thinking, and gives
us
> something more concrete to work with.
>
> Justin Collins
>

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