Aquatar - Castlegar, British Columbia
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T0SHEA
N 49° 17.721 W 117° 38.392
11U E 453476 N 5460486
Aquatar is located at the entrance to Kootenay Gallery located at 120 Heritage Way. This mythical creature is thought provoking, and one can not help but wonder...
Waymark Code: WMFWJJ
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 12/08/2012
Views: 1
Aquatar emerges from the Devonian Period: "The Age of Fishes”
Fish and land plants became abundant and diverse during the Devonian Period. The first fish appeared in the form of sharks, bony fish, and mollusks. Many coral reef brachiopods (having two shells like a clam), and crinoids (starfish, sea urchins, and sand dollars are part of this group) emerged during this time. The first four-footed animals in the form of amphibians appeared towards the end of the period. (What will become lizards, frog, etc.)
Mass extinction (345 million years ago) wiped out 30% of all animal families probably due to glaciation or meteorite impact.
The Devonian seas:
The Devonian is also notable for the rapid diversification in fish. Benthic, jawless, armored fish are common by the Lower Devonian. These early fish include a number of different groups. By the Middle Devonian the first jawed fish appeared. Many of these grew to large sizes and were fearsome predators. Of the greatest interest is the rise of the first sarcopterygians, lobe-finned fish, which eventually produced the first tetrapods, four-footed animal, just before the end of the Devonian.
Aquatar‘s inspiration is by famed artist Andrew Raney. The project was completed for the millennium celebration.
“Aquatar is of the sarcopterygians group. It is through evolution that the first signs of man appeared.”
We visited the Kootenay Gallery on several occasions and always stop to look at this most intriguing metal sculpture and ponder the possibilities. It definitely has a mystical quality about it.
I contacted Andrew Raney this morning and had an enjoyable conversation with him. He explained his vision for Aquatar and shared some of his research into the project. It was most enlightening. It was then that I knew this was of epic proportion.