.:: Artistic Cultural Underwater Activities ::.

[BryanW]

Underwater parks

I think the idea of an underwater version of a city park is an interesting one. A good city park will have quiet places to walk around, interesting trees and plants, a play area, some sculptures perhaps, and hopefully some wildlife. I was previously thinking of the idea from the perspective of how I generally feel when in the water - like a ten-year-old. Parks were great when I was ten because they were amazing places to explore. especially if you came across a "secret" bit of sculpture or sundial or something you didn't know was there before. I think my ideal underwater park would have interesting landscape and be a permanent sculpture park, with the sculptures "hidden" in nooks and crannies around the place - and there would be bigger open areas for more temporary events such as underwater music or art exhibitions or light shows. Then of course you've got the wildlife and the ecological message that goes with it. But there would have to be a "play area" too, though i'm not sure what this would involve except a kind of obstacle course.

How would you handle the entry/safety aspects, assuming that you wanted it to be visited by the general public rather than a select well-trained few? And things like water temperature? (Unless you're in the tropics?) And would you have parkies using spearguns to collect litter?

Interesting stuff

Bryan

 

[Jay Styron]

There's a statue off Key Largo called the "Christ statue", that maybe the one. The U/W hotel site is the one I was talking about in Key Largo in the lagoon. It was the La Chalupa(sp?), not Tektite.
Jay

 

[Bombata]

More and more info !!! GREAT

I think you have a rather good vision of what an underwater park could be. Many paces to visit, large area to explore, play and enjoy without being disturbed by crowd...
As I was talking about this, I thought that it may have to be cleaned oftently, otherwise it could look like an abandonned place. I don't exactly know how it could look like a nice and enjoyable place and not like structures leaved here just to see who would be able to come ! Sometimes, kid's playground look like this, very old crap just in place so people can say : "Of course we care of our childrens, there's a playground downstairs their concrete buildings" but nobody ever play there...You know what I mean ?

Safety aspect is rather special you're right too. My point of view would be the same as other beachs. Life-guards during day and a sign as a reminder for the dangers and "how to avoid them"...some kind of "Enter at your own risks". If someone drawn, unfortunately, it could happen anywhere else but nowadays people need to find a culprit to feed the lawyers. Of course, everything would be done so the sculptures and installations are totally safe, avoiding risks to be blocked or wedged. Anyway, the area musn't exceed 3-5 meters deep.
Temperatures is not such a problem as cities who need to see their diving activity increasing and wish to inform people about wildlife protection are in tempered to tropical areas. I DO NOT say that others area are not interesting for divers or doesn't need to inform people but then it should not be the same kind of project. For a one hour concert, we had to raise temperature of the swimming-pool so people stay in good conditions while enjoying concerts. Of course, it can't be the same in the sea and we'll have to spare with it. During a summertime project, no one seemed to have that kind of problem...
Anyway, a shorter time give you the opportunity to come again and again and may be discover new things each time. People won't getting out because they're bored with it (let's hope) but because it's getting cold, totally different in their mind !

Jay, I already have seen some pictures and it's really impressive to see it ! Like others, I'd like so much to dive there ! Let's hope Simon Morris will have the opportunity to sink more and more statues. I had a project with him for a show in Spain during an underwater picture festival but the biggest problem is about money. I have to find sponsors !!!

 

[bluh2o]

Underwater theme parks for Divers.
Or Parks with underwater themes for non-divers.

Should we include grandma while she lets the rest of the family get down?

Of course there's a ton of interactive stuff from good Public Aquariums but two I haven't seen are Bubble ring machines where you could make and create bubble rings. (After Googling"bubble ring machine" I found out it's patented. I talked with the inventor, he's cool and open to ideas and help) The "player" could watch them in real time or on video.

My other thought is a flat screen video fashioned like an Aquarium.This would be Art at home hung on the wall. I've kept marine aquariums but have a problem with disturbing all those poor fish just for my amusement. Not to mention the electric bill.

What about a real time video aquarium. Subscription based. Cameras at ten or twenty of the most outrageous marine environments. Live color feed. Wide angle lenses, etc. etc. etc. Sound and speakers too. Really fashioned to give the peaceful calming affect of owning an aquarium. Intentionally avioding anything relating to TV or commercial activity. More like living art on the wall.

Last thought. The closest I've come to art underwater is playing with blowing bubble rings. Next would be playing with Sea Lions. The spinner dolphins don't seem to interact too much but Sea Lions charge, swirl, spin, dance underwater. Is dancing with Sea lions art?

Tom

 

[bluh2o]

Had idea for an interactive animated computer game. They've got one of those interactive games where you manipulate a surfer on a wave. It's fun and kids in this surf store here love it. You've got to be pretty good to make the wave. If you eat it the surfer on the screen is seen swimming back to the surface. I thought, how about one for freediving? An animation sequence of the breath up, the decent, the turn around etc. Great for you guys training in your dens all winter up in the cold northern Canadian interior ay? Maybe it's been done though, seen it anywhere? Watching the surfer swim back to the surface through clear blue animated Hawaiian water was actually very comforting.

 

[gwpcasey]

I can't imagine a freediving game that would be that interesting for very long. A spearfishing game, on the other hand, would definitely provide some more interest. The hunter would have to stay on the surface to relax and breathe, then descend somewhere, with oxygen being used up being heart beat has increased, then stay still (oxygen consumption would continue at a reduced rate) etc... with the goal being to get back to the surface without "running out" of O2. I think that as the hunter had more and more successful dives, his/her O2 "capacity" (sorry for all of the ""s) would increase, thus enabling him/her to go deeper, hunt bigger fish etc. Perhaps it would start off with a training round or something.

Any game developer's out there who'd like to take this on? I can pay you in kudos and rep power.

Gordon.

 

[bluh2o]

I agree, Exciting would be that last word to describe a freediving simulator.
But still... Kirk? help me out here. PFD training video? Mandy or Martin's CB record dives? Really, it might make it easier to explain when someone comes into your darkened living room and finds you passed out on the couch.

 

[bluh2o]

Still thinking about this Freedive simulator. It'd be a training tool for people who can't dive when ever they want. For people in the frozen northern latitudes during the winter for instance. It would be a web page. You log on and join four or five of your favorite forum dive buddies for a dive. The page would have great animation of a dive in say... Honaunau bay, Kona. Coral walls, Balls of bait fish, teams of spinner dolphins, perfect blue water. They would actually practice a whole dive during the "Game". The target depth, the estimated descent and ascent time, then the breath-up, the roll over and descent. The target depth, turn around and the ascent. The players would actually breath up according to their own techniques pressing a key or a mouse to initiate and end the breath-up sequence. Press the mouse again to initiate the dive and the player would actually hold his breath. (I'm not going to lay on the floor and pretend to kick but what ever sets you free). Reach your depth, signal a turn around and ascend. Play fair and honest and signal either your success or you SWB. The Web page would record and log your stats and the interactive part of the whole thing would be practicing and competing with your friends and comparing breath up techniques and stats.

 

[Bombata]

more news

It seems this thread evolved since my last visit ! I'm glad to read your reactions. Check the website of the Association of Development of Artistic & Cultural Underwater Activities if you want to know more about it. Soon, an update with videos of underwater concerts will come. The last one happened in june 2004 at Lille (European Cultural Capital for the year 2004, France). I filmed the concert and hopefully will present the result for the Antibes's underwater festival.

www.adacua.com

More news coming soon !

 

[trux]

Just found this 5 years old thread. Quite interesting reading, and especially the website of ADACUA is worth of looking at - many interesting subaquatic artistic projects, and also many links to websites of UW artists. Just a pity that it looks like the website was not updated since a while. I hope the ADACUA association is not dead. Anyone heard about it? Hope Bombata will get a notification email and peek in with some news!