Re: AGA CONTEST - Digest V1 #146

[krandall@world.std.com]

At 04:12 AM 7/27/99 -0700, Olga wrote:

>Olga replies:
>My attitude is that we don't have to use "unfamiliar concepts". They all
>translate into ordinary everyday phases that all the "Homers" can
>understand. Using terms like "visual tension" makes those who were brought
>up with comic books for literature and cartoons for Art think that they are
>stupid and cannot understand "Art". It's those kind of phrases that scare
>many ordinary folks away from Art and enjoying it.

I have quoted only a small (but I think salient) portion of the east/west
head butting contest.  But I'm siding with Olga on this one, even if I _am_
about as far east as I can go without falling into the ocean.

Karen

------------------------------

>Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 23:46:26 -0400
>From: "Ken Guin" <kenguin@homemail.com>
>Subject: Judging Criteria
>
>Hmmm, beer gooood. Tension bad.
>
> -- Homer Simpson (urging serenity)

There are those who could (and do) wax poetic on the "art" of producing
good beer. ;-)

Karen
------------------------------

>James replies:
>I don't expect that anything Neil may have written in his article quoted
>above might change your mind.... but its worth a try.
>
>You want a "country fair" - some of us want an International Aquascaping
>Showcase & Contest, with participation from all over the world. I don't want
>to look at "plants underwater", I want to see examples of beautifully
>aquascaped aquariums.
>
>There is more to the world than North America.

James, 

I know Neil well, and respect him greatly.  BUT I have had contact with a
number of INTERNATIONAL experts on aquarium plants who don't totally agree
with Neil's view on this issue.  Claus Christensen, who has seen more tanks
in more countries than anyone I can think of, has told me personally that
the best in the US compare favorably with the best in the world.  He says
that we have a very skewed view of the level of planted aquariums kept in
other countries.  There are very good ones, but they are the elite, even in
their own countries.  The _average_ aquarist in Germany is no better a
keeping planted tanks than the average aquarist here.  

Using plain and simple language will not keep the best from competing.
Using pretentious sounding language _will_ scare off the potential "Grandma
Moses'" (like Olga ;-) that just might like to participate "for the fun of
it" and teach us all a thing or two.  Except for Amano and a few Dutch
competitors, there really aren't that many people who are producing planted
tanks specifically as an "art form", any more than MOST gardeners toil in
their gardens just to impress garden club judges.  They do it to please
themselves when the look out over their dew covered garden with that first
cup of coffee in the morning, and they do it because the love the feel of
the soil between their fingers.  If some judge gives them an award for
their efforts, it is simply frosting on the cake.  

James, I mentioned this to you before in a different context, and I'll say
it again.  I find it quite interesting that I have YET to hear anyone tell
us that, yes, they ARE an aquascaping artist, or even can NAME an
aquascaping artist with the exception of Amano.  We simply don't think of
ourselves that way.  Let's do our best to encourage participation without
pretense at this point.  If we have enough participation, we will start to
SEE who the artists are, whether they recognize themselves as such or not.
Then we can begin to learn from them.

Karen
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