The Physical Possibility of Inspiring Imagination . . .

A few months ago we were approached by a pair of well known local artists named Walter Hugo and Zoniel who were brainstorming ideas for a large jellyfish installation in Liverpool. We were instantly interested in the project so we arranged a time for us to meet and start discussing their options.

The artists original idea was to have us design and install a 2 x 3 meter tank that would fill the front of a garage space in a derelict building in Toxteth so that in the evening a roller shutter would open to reveal this beautiful large scale aquarium full of jellyfish. We told them that anything is possible and we can definitely build an aquarium of this scale but they would need a substantial budget. As the project was being sponsored by the Gazelli Art House on Dover Street and the exhibition would only be running for a few weeks we needed to think of a way of designing something with just as much impact but within a reasonable budget.

We approached Walter and Zoniel with a new concept which consisted of a number of smaller aquariums stacked on a solid aluminium frame to create the effect of a 'wall of aquariums'. We then decided to add a solid piece of coloured cnc'd glass to the front of the stack to create the illusion that you were looking at one large aquarium through a number of different viewing panels. As we were using toughed low iron glass this would make it crystal clear plus will add an additional safety feature to the project.

Within a matter of weeks we were in Liverpool installing the system. Each aquarium in the stack was plumbed into a central sump system for easy maintenance but we made sure that the flow was adjustable on each outlet to ensure the tanks could be balanced correctly. The controllable LED lighting enabled us to create that deep actinic spectrum so that aquariums would beam out into the street for maximum visual impact.

The final result was stunning and we were extremely pleased to have completed the project on schedule. The installation was live streamed at the gallery in Central London, which was amazing to see. The live stream showed the Toxteth public looking at the installation through the aquariums and the reactions were priceless.