Dimensions 30 × 30 × 6 cm
Title Stretching Dawn
Volume 1L
Background N/A
Lighting ONF Flat Nano, 8 hrs per day.
Filtration N/A
Plants Christmas Moss (Vesicularia montagnei)
Rotala Rotundifolia "Colorata"
Hygrophila Pinnatifida
Hydrocotyle Verticillata
Hydrocotyle Tripartita
Salvinia Minima
Animals No animals
Materials Wabi Kusa Substrate Ball
Spider Wood
Seiryu Stone
Natural Gravel
Additional Information Inspired by the Barwon River, an Estuary in Ocean Grove, Victoria. At low tide, as the birds come to feed.
The wabi kusa appears isolated as it sits among stones and driftwood whose branches accentuate the form of the ceramic that the entire display is contained within. Thin subtle trails of Rotala and Hydrocotyle trails from beyond the ceramic impart the impression of the passage of time and the imperfection of nature allowing the wabi kusa to grow freely.
The planting technique is skillful and done with restraint. While many species are present the wabi kusa is not over-planted with many "impressive patches" or monocultures existing across the substrate ball surface.
It is worth noting that Hydrocotyle verticillata grows small in this arrangement not achieving its full parasol-like form. I am unsure if this is intentional or not but the effect is beneficial to the scale of the display. The same can be said for the smaller Hygrophila pinnatifida which appear as young growth.
This display is a culmination of beautifully-executed hardscape a sensitivity in planting and long-term care and a reverence for wabi kusa as an artform. Tremendous work.