IWAGUMI – KO Daisuke Inoue x Naru Uchida
What I aim is to create aquascapes that tell stories by themselves
Daisuke Inoue, a Suikei Creator is interviewed by Naru Uchida about thoughts that he puts into aquascapes and his creative goals.
Uchida: Mr. Inoue, when I look at your Iwagumi layouts, they look slightly more distinctive than general Iwagumi layouts. What kind of things do you think of when creating layouts?
Inoue: My Iwagumi layouts seem that they look different from general Iwagumi, but it doesn’t mean that I create them completely new and original. When creating layouts, I still use what I learned from Takashi Amano as references, like his passion for creating aquascapes and desire to protect nature, and stories behind the process of his aquascape production. When creating layouts, not just Iwagumi, I tend to focus on the storyline of how an aquascape is completed.
Inoue: My Iwagumi layouts seem that they look different from general Iwagumi, but it doesn’t mean that I create them completely new and original. When creating layouts, I still use what I learned from Takashi Amano as references, like his passion for creating aquascapes and desire to protect nature, and stories behind the process of his aquascape production. When creating layouts, not just Iwagumi, I tend to focus on the storyline of how an aquascape is completed.
Uchida: What do you mean by storyline?
Inoue: What I mean by storyline is that what kind of message a creator of aquascapes wants to deliver in terms of their own view of the world or creativity. I personally reflect my own storyline in ultimate expressions as aquascapes. The driving force for creativity is different for each person, like some people simply love nature, or some just have something they want to express. There must be some reasons. The driving force is just for oneself, and that’s something you can never compare with others. I personally think that’s the most important part. Thus, aquascapes that give you their storylines just by looking at the aquascapes are good works, and they will be your own view of the world that only you can depict.
Uchida: I see. That’s why you value storylines so much.
Inoue: That’s right. But no matter how good your story is, if you don’t have techniques to make it into an aquascape, you can’t really deliver your feelings and thoughts. For that reason, I think it is necessary to have knowledge of basic compositions and layouts, and knowledge of species and nature of aquatic plants at least. And the knowledge will lead to an ability of expression. If only you need to know your story, then an ability of imagination is just enough. But to make people who look at your aquascapes feel your story, abilities of both expression and imagination are indeed needed.
Inoue: What I mean by storyline is that what kind of message a creator of aquascapes wants to deliver in terms of their own view of the world or creativity. I personally reflect my own storyline in ultimate expressions as aquascapes. The driving force for creativity is different for each person, like some people simply love nature, or some just have something they want to express. There must be some reasons. The driving force is just for oneself, and that’s something you can never compare with others. I personally think that’s the most important part. Thus, aquascapes that give you their storylines just by looking at the aquascapes are good works, and they will be your own view of the world that only you can depict.
Uchida: I see. That’s why you value storylines so much.
Inoue: That’s right. But no matter how good your story is, if you don’t have techniques to make it into an aquascape, you can’t really deliver your feelings and thoughts. For that reason, I think it is necessary to have knowledge of basic compositions and layouts, and knowledge of species and nature of aquatic plants at least. And the knowledge will lead to an ability of expression. If only you need to know your story, then an ability of imagination is just enough. But to make people who look at your aquascapes feel your story, abilities of both expression and imagination are indeed needed.
Size: W180×D60×H60（cm）
Uchida: When thinking of the storyline and ability of expression, this work “Fun in clear stream” should also have a theme. What is the theme?
Inoue: Although the theme for this work was to create a full-scale riverbed, it wasn’t entirely based on the theme. But it was rather something I created while figuring out the meaning why I create layouts as an ADA Suikei creator. I think each person feel differently when looking at the aquascape. But by making an aquascape close to full-scale, I was hoping that people could have a chance to think about the beauty of nature and present condition of environment even if it’s only a slight chance. Therefore, in terms of this particular aquascape, it would be more meaningful if viewers could feel something on their own from this aquascape rather than delivering my own theme. And I was also hoping that people could feel ADA’s philosophy from the aquascape. I think the meaning why I create layouts as an ADA’s Suikei creator becomes valid for the first time when it happens.
Uchida: You are right. But it’s difficult because it’s not like your creative intensions can be explained to everyone who directly sees your aquascapes.
Inoue: I agree with you. For that reason, for this aquascape, I focused on keeping the aquascape as simple as possible. If it was a complicated composition or planting, I thought viewers might start comparing it with other aquascapes, or start looking at small details, like maybe other aquatic plants would work better instead of the storyline, and they end up not realizing the most important part. Also, it’s a similar thing. I purposely erase a creator’s (my) existence by not over-making the composition. I also think that by eliminating unnecessary parts to the limit like this, it is important to leave some blank space where viewers can develop their own stories. That’s why I think a work that delivers its own story in a way that a story is flowing out of the aquascape just by looking at the aquascape, is the best, and that’s my goal too.
Inoue: Although the theme for this work was to create a full-scale riverbed, it wasn’t entirely based on the theme. But it was rather something I created while figuring out the meaning why I create layouts as an ADA Suikei creator. I think each person feel differently when looking at the aquascape. But by making an aquascape close to full-scale, I was hoping that people could have a chance to think about the beauty of nature and present condition of environment even if it’s only a slight chance. Therefore, in terms of this particular aquascape, it would be more meaningful if viewers could feel something on their own from this aquascape rather than delivering my own theme. And I was also hoping that people could feel ADA’s philosophy from the aquascape. I think the meaning why I create layouts as an ADA’s Suikei creator becomes valid for the first time when it happens.
Uchida: You are right. But it’s difficult because it’s not like your creative intensions can be explained to everyone who directly sees your aquascapes.
Inoue: I agree with you. For that reason, for this aquascape, I focused on keeping the aquascape as simple as possible. If it was a complicated composition or planting, I thought viewers might start comparing it with other aquascapes, or start looking at small details, like maybe other aquatic plants would work better instead of the storyline, and they end up not realizing the most important part. Also, it’s a similar thing. I purposely erase a creator’s (my) existence by not over-making the composition. I also think that by eliminating unnecessary parts to the limit like this, it is important to leave some blank space where viewers can develop their own stories. That’s why I think a work that delivers its own story in a way that a story is flowing out of the aquascape just by looking at the aquascape, is the best, and that’s my goal too.
Usually working actively as a video creator for ADA view. He puts his own sensibility into aquascapes.
