The Echappée Aquarium by Sébastien Cordoleani and Vincent Breed

This structure was designed by Sébastien Cordoleani and built by glass artist and craftsman Vincent Breed, to invite fish to “take a breather,” extending the limitations of the usual tank or aquarium.



above two photos © Erick Saillet

The Echappée (or Extension) was created for the show 15 Designers, 15 Artisans held in Saint-Etienne in December 2010. Each pair had about 2 months to meet up, think, design and make the pieces, with only a dimension constraint of 60 x 60 x 60 cm.

above: The aquarium at the

The purpose of this project, initiated by Emilie Colin Garros, Philippine Lemaire and David des Moutis in summer 2010, was to promote a mode of creation based on the proximity and to reflect the possibility of innovation and creation in a framework where the discussion and the transmission of technical and practical knowledge are possible. It has subsequently traveled including a 2011 exhibition at the French boutique Merci during Designer's Days.




above: The aquarium at the Merci Boutique exhibit.

It is made up of a basin from which a water pipe rises into space, beyond the usual physical limits of an aquarium. By overflowing it offers new horizons to the fish and those who contemplate them. The means to achieve this being simply the application of the physical phenomena of surface tension. The bubble is the central element, a technical challenge for the glass-blower who, by blowing out and sucking in air, will give it the appearance of flowing water.

Echappée (Extension) 2005-2010
Prototype
Dimensions : basin : L 60, W 40, H 11 cm / extension : L 40, W 30 x H 40 cm
Material : glass

images courtesy of Sébastien Cordoleani , Domus, and Design Parade – villa Noailles,

The Betta Bowl and Aqua U, Modern Tabletop Fish Tanks From Zero Edge Aquariums.

The Betta Bowl:



More fancy living for your betta fish. The ZeroEdge Betta Bowl is handcrafted out of cast acrylic material and is large enough to incorporate plants. It can be used as a planter instead of a fish tank, if you so desire.




Available in all clear or with a black acrylic back, the Betta Bowl measures
18.5" x 5" x 6.5" Length x Width x Height, 3/8” Front and back and has a 1/4” heat formed bottom.

$44.95, buy it here (and it's 10% off until Christmas).


The Aqua U:



The Zeroedge Aqua U is a fun and versatile 4.5 gallon desktop aquarium. The interesting shape not only looks stylish, it helps with the water flow in the aquarium. Water enters this little aquarium at a low level before it raises and goes through the surface skimmer.




dimensions: 14” x 11.75” x 14”,  Outer footprint, 11.75” x 8” x 12”
Includes:
Mounted hang on the back filter
Sicce pump
Filter Media
Polycarbonate lids

Available in black or white,
$290,  buy it here

Fishbowl Shaped Like A World Map Is A Trip For Goldfish.

Designboom (who promoted the design competition) featured this fabulous fish tank concept, World Trip, which won a 2012 TIFF award. The clear acrylic tank was designed by Takuro Yamamoto and is made to emulate a world map through which the little fish can meander.




all images courtesy of Designboom

TIFF Award 2012 will be celebrating the refined beauty and luxury of Thai homes and their outdoor lifestyle, the finest indoor/outdoor furniture and home decor accessories made in Thailand for the international market and unique leisure experiences in which aesthetics and environmentalism share equal space.

learn more about the TIFF Awards here

Fish On The Edge. The Bubble Tank by Richard Bell for Psalt Design.

Created for Psalt Design, a Sheffield based Furniture & Product Design company, the ‘Bubble Tank Project’ by Richard Bell is a series of hand-blown glass bowls which have been counterbalanced to create the illusion that they are hanging precariously over the edge of a surface.





Every tank is completely unique therefore is available in many different shapes and sizes. Simply pick the one that you like best here.

spotted on designrulz via materialicious

The Nautilus Peepbox Aquarium Melds Steampunk Design With Modern Materials.

Designed by George Maridakis for Spell, the Nautilus peepbox aquarium is constructed of Perspex and aluminum. The illuminated cylindrical fish tank has a Jules Verne-meets-the-new-millenium look and style.






The tabletop aquarium or fishtank measures 400mm tall, 270mm wide and 390mm deep and weighs 15kg and is available for order from Spell.

Unusual Blown Glass Fish Bowls By Roger Arquer.

This project presents fifteen different pieces that explore variations of the iconic image of a fishbowl. Each piece examines a topic or suggests a solution to a different issue, as human qualities are being attributed to a fish.





Thoughtful and yet playful, the hand blown glass FishBowls relate with Birdland and MouseTraps, two previous projects by Roger Arquer that also explore variations.

Under Candlelight tells us about candlelight floating on water for a romantic evening:


XS or XL tells us about relationships between big and small fish living together:



Dear Neighbor tells us about the delicate relationships we have with our close neighbors:


Pure Life tells us about purifying the water directly when refilling the bowl:



Chill Out / Warm Up tells us about how we can control water temperature adding hot water or ice in the small receptacle:


Russian Dolls tell us about how big the fish wants to grow. If it stays in the small bowl, the fish will keep small. If it goes to the big, it will grow:



Bottle Vase tells us about how we use objects for another purposes other than their original function:


Private Matters tells us about privacy for the fish:



Hanging From a String tells us about playfulness in an apparently threatening situation:


Do Not Piss Me Off tells us about the power to decide between the life and death of the fish:


Above Water tells us about sharing the water between the fish bowl and the plant:


Wishing Well tells us about cultural traditions related to throwing coins on wells or fountains:



About The Artist:

Roger Arquer was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1975. Graduated in Design at ESDI, Barcelona (1994-1998). A year after his graduation, he moved to New York City (1999-2003) to work as industrial designer. After New York, he moved to London to attend an MA in Design Products at the Royal College of Art (2003-2005). During the summer break in RCA he worked as designer in Zurich (Switzerland). He set up his own design practice in London after RCA.

Since he was student he has received design awards, such as Opus Design Award (Japan), Coram Design (Netherlands), Adi-Fad (Barcelona), RCA Society/Thames Hudson Book Prize (London), among others.

He also has been exhibiting his work: Design Mart Design Museum (2005-6), British Council Design Exhibition (Milan 2005), aRChAeology at Royal College of Art (London 2005), or Park and Products at Serpentine Gallery (London 2004), On/Off Design Experience (Seoul 2005), among others.

all text and images courtesy of the artist.
Roger Arquer



In a funny little coinkidink, today's Google Doodle also takes place underwater where the fishies live, be sure to check out the post on the interactive Jules Verne homage here.