With care and precision, an aquarist at the Lisbon Oceanarium smooths the sand in the aquarium of the “Forests Underwater” exhibition at the Lisbon Oceanarium.
The job requires extended diving. Smoothing the bottom of the aquarium and removing any traces of disturbance or human presence is the final task, carried out after pruning the plants that make up the display.
Light but precise cuts shape the vegetation in this 40-metre-long aquarium, which holds a total of 160,000 litres of freshwater. It was designed by Japanese artist Takashi Amano more than ten years ago.
Every day, before the doors open, the aquarists responsible for the structure dive in for maintenance and cleaning work. Since it opened in 2015, the exhibition has accumulated around 11,000 hours of specialised diving. The aim is to maintain the creator’s vision.
“It’s almost unthinkable. No other aquarium has this many hours of work in the water and it’s extremely necessary because it’s a 40 metre aquarium, we can’t forget that,” Tiago Reis, species coordinator at the Lisbon Oceanarium, told Euronews.
“It’s still the largest nature aquarium in the world, and so we have to divide it up into zones. We have a diving scale and we have around 3 to 4 people diving every day to keep everything exactly as the creator, Takashi Amano, envisioned it.”
Landscape photographer and one of the world’s most influential aquascapers, Takashi Amano passed away four months after the exhibition opened. He designed this aquarium, which is still considered the largest “nature aquarium” in the world, a concept also attributed to him. It consists of recreating the structure of an ecosystem in which plants and organisms interact and coexist within an aquarium, inspired by natural processes.
For guidance and inspiration, Takashi Amano has spent a lifetime travelling through forests on several continents, working to promote greater environmental awareness and the importance of preserving ecosystems. The aquarium is considered one of the most important parts of the Japanese man’s legacy.
The end of an era
Designed for three years, the temporary exhibition has far exceeded its estimated lifespan. “This has happened because the aquarium, over time, has always managed to fulfil and maintain its objective, which was to create something in people,” explains Tiago Reis.
After 11 years and more than ten million visitors, Takashi Amano’s cycle at the Oceanarium has come to an end. “We believe that if we were to extend this aquarium any longer, we could be transgressing the vision of the author himself, because over time this aquarium changes and it would be a little disrespectful if we wanted to extend it indefinitely,” says Tiago Reis.
From 30 June, the exhibition will no longer be available to the public: the end of a cycle, just as Takashi Amano envisaged.
“We accept this closure, not least because there is a Japanese philosophy behind the creation of this aquarium, which is the wabi-sabi philosophy, which tells us that nothing is eternal. Takashi Amano himself said that the aquarium would come to an end and we will have to accept that, because it is the natural occurrence of this ecosystem.”
This is a living exhibition that will give new life to the species that are here. These animals will be “transferred to other institutions that fulfil the animal welfare requirements that the Oceanarium adheres to,” says Tiago Reis. “After the closure, the aquarium will obviously remain in operation until we have dedicated institutions to receive them.”
This aquarium is home to around 40 species of freshwater tropical fish, 46 species of aquatic plants and more than 10,000 living organisms. According to the Oceanarium, the layout of the structure includes 12 tonnes of sand, 25 tonnes of volcanic rock and 78 tree trunks.
Rediscovering the ‘Underwater Forests’
Although the iconic exhibition is coming to an end, for now you can still visit it.
The aquarium offers a behind the scenes tour, where for around 60 minutes, alongside a marine educator, you can learn about the daily care and other curiosities about the aquarium.
“We have guided tours behind the scenes, where you can see all the tools we use, the tools that Japanese teams have also used, in collaboration with the Oceanarium. You can see our way of working because, really, no one else in the world, no other aquarium has dared to do something like this,” explains Tiago Reis.
In addition, on specific days, it is possible to witness the pruning live.