Photos by ©Pedro Pina and @oceanariodelisboa
The exhibition “Submerged Forests by Takashi Amano” is one of the most popular in Lisbon. Just look at the more than 10 years it has been at the Lisbon Oceanarium, when it was originally only supposed to stay there for three.
The world’s largest nature aquarium has been visited by around 7 million people over the years, making it one of the most popular exhibitions, not only inLisbon but throughout the country.
How long can you visit it?
©Pedro Pina
Open at the Lisbon Oceanarium until the end of next June, the exhibition “Submerged Forests by Takashi Amano” presents, in an “artificial” space, tropical forests and their various aquatic systems.
Created by the renowned Japanese aquarium specialist (aquascaper) Takashi Amano, this exhibition will immerse you in an incredible experience where you can contemplate nature in its purest state of balance.
The aquarium, which is 40 meters long and holds 160,000 liters of freshwater, also contains four tons of sand, 25 tons of volcanic rock from the Azores , and 78 tree trunks from Scotland and Malaysia.
Photos by ©Pedro Pina and @oceanariodelisboa
As for marine life, at the “Submerged Forests” exhibition you’ll also be able to admire more than 10,000 tropical fish, representing 40 species, and 46 types of aquatic plants.
As if that weren’t enough, to further enhance your experience, musician Rodrigo Leão composed a 13-minute melody exclusively for this exhibition, which you can listen to as you “dive” into the depths and tranquility of this underwater beauty.
Who was Takashi Amano?
Photos by ©Pedro Pina and @oceanariodelisboa
Takashi Amano was a landscape photographer born in 1954 who passed away in 2015, the same year he installed his largest project in Lisbon, at the Lisbon Oceanarium.
He has traveled through various forests around the world, capturing the essence and balance of nature that remains untouched.
He became known to everyone as the master of freshwater aquariums through the creation of planted aquariums, the well-known nature aquariums.
It stood out for the artistry with which it recreated nature down to the tiniest detail, blending Japanese gardening techniques with the wabi-sabi concept, an aesthetic approach centered on the imperfection of objects.
Fun facts about this aquarium
Photos by ©Pedro Pina and @oceanariodelisboa
Photos by ©Pedro Pina and @oceanariodelisboa
When it was installed at the Lisbon Oceanarium in 2015, the creator Takashi Amano , a global pioneer of aquascaping , already knew that everything would change quickly, with the plants growing rapidly to take over various corners of this enormous aquarium.
In order to keep the artist’s legacy alive and in perfect harmony, this is the aquarium at the Lisbon Oceanarium that requires the most maintenance; 8,500 hours have already been spent caring for this ecosystem to maintain its natural appearance, particularly regarding the plant arrangements in the beds for each species.
Cleanliness is another extremely important factor in maintaining the aquarium’s balance, carried out by aquarists and a “team” of Amano shrimp and Siamese algae eaters, which are animals that feed on debris and algae.
Exhibition statistics
Photos by © Pedro Pina and @oceanariodelisboa
Among the most fascinating facts about this exhibition is that it has already been seen by 7 million people, but there are many other incredible statistics:
It is the world’s largest nature aquarium, measuring 40 meters in length and containing 160,000 liters of freshwater;
It is one of the longest-running living exhibitions in Lisbon, now over 10 years old;
It features 10,000 living organisms, including 40 species of tropical fish and 46 species of aquatic plants;
More than 8,500 hours of diving have already been spent on its maintenance;
The exclusive music created by Rodrigo Leão is 13 minutes long.
Useful information:
Location: Lisbon Oceanarium, on the D. Carlos I Terrace
Date: daily, through June 30
Tickets: between €15 and €25 (includes admission to the entire oceanarium)
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