This is the first freshwater aquarium we have highlighted on GBD, but it is certainly deserving. Some will hate it, and some will love it, but James Maslin’s planted aquarium Without Foundation will always grab your attention and spark debate. James may have taken this a step beyond pure aesthetics. I am not sure how [...]
This is the first freshwater aquarium we have highlighted on GBD, but it is certainly deserving. Some will hate it, and some will love it, but James Maslin’s planted aquarium Without Foundation will always grab your attention and spark debate. James may have taken this a step beyond pure aesthetics. I am not sure how I would classify it, but “aquatic realism” comes to mind. This little freshwater aquarium subverts the idea of natural, fantasy-like aquascapes and provides a real dialogue on the state of our natural aquatic environments–all while still looking good!
Bricks, the heart of Without Foundation
Q&A with James:
Where did the mad idea of bricks come from?
Speaking with some members from ukaps late one night, we got chatting about what could possibly make a Great British ‘Scape – many jokes were passed around about shopping trolleys, empty beer cans and bottles, sticklebacks and the like, but it got me thinking about alternative ideas… and when I stepped out of the house the next day, it hit me! Living in a new house on a new estate is great, but our back lawn was a mess, so a few summers ago I turned the entire lawn over to start fresh, only to discover about 50 or so bricks left over from some (lazy) builders. A few bricks I’d kept for unknown reasons were happily being covered by winter growth just behind my shed, and they looked just the ticket…
This scape was meant to be an Iwagumi, but after many months of searching for the perfect hardscape rocks for a strict Iwagumi, I was ready to give up on the idea and try something else, but before I do I wanted to try these bricks as a sort of Iwagumi copcept or alternative. Now whether or not my creation ended up as an Iwagumi or not is down to how you translate and understand ‘Iwagumi.’ For some, this means naturally occurring ‘rock formation.’ For others it means ’stone arrangement’ suggesting a man made pre planned scene. Something very obvious here.
What were trying to achieve with this terrestrial aquascape?
The ultimate expression I’m aiming for is to show natures wonderful ability to overcome, and even use man made obstructions or objects. “Urbex” Photography, showing derelict buildings, run down parks and the like really stands out as a direct comparison. In marine terms, it could be compared to the sinking of ships to form man made reefs.
Any future plans or additions? Do you plan on incorporating any other man made objects in future tanks?
I’m in the early stages of planning a scape inspired by artwork by Don Brautigam. Whether it ever sees the light of day or not depends on the outcome!
Any plans to come over to the dark side of reef aquariums?
My 4 year old son would like nothing more than for his Dad to jump in to the Marine World, but sadly I don’t have the time. One day though 
A special thanks to James for sharing his system and to Mark at plantedbox.com (Great name BTW). Be sure to check out planted box for great freshwater planted aquariums. You can also find additional information and photos on James’ work Without Foundation.
