Aquatic Culture

– where water serves art and society

The Hidden Wonder of Abiqua Creek
Time spent in the company of natural waters can become an obsession, and those experiences can fuel the creative spirit with inspiration and endless “design” ideas. Here Eric Herman recalls a day trip to a place in Oregon that stands as a perfect example of the serendipity of days devoed to seeking hidden wonders. ...
Blistering Ocean Temps Break Records
The water temperatures of the world’s oceans are rapidly on the rise. The result of elevating atmospheric carbon dioxide levels that are causing a host of extreme weather conditions the world over. Ocean-temperature rise is accelerating at unprecedented rates with a host of serious possible ramifications in its wake. ...
The Two-Ocean Stream
It's the only feature of its kind in North America: a place in Wyoming where visitors can watch a flow of water divide on the crest of the Continental Divide, beginning journeys that lead thousands of miles in opposite directions, eventually flowing into the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. ...
A Question of Leadership
As the pool and spa industry continues to surge into a seemingly bright future, veteran designer Kevin Woodhurst asks big questions about where our industry will find the leaders of tomorrow. The answers, he believes, come from within those who have witnessed the industry’s dynamic evolution. ...
Feeding Lake Mead
Managing water levels and flow through rivers systems and reservoirs might rightly be considered watershaping on the grandest possible scale. That unique skillset has come into play in a big way recently as refreshened water resources are distributed through drought-worn Colorado River system. ...
Barrier Busting
Access to swimming pools is an essential factor in learning to swim. As obvious as that may seem, social and economic barriers have for decades prevented many underprivileged groups from sharing in the benefits of aquatic sports. Swim instructor, Robert Trotman, spent more than a half century working to change that. ...
Chance Inventions
Toys that feature getting wet have a history of becoming iconic to the point it’s hard to imagine summer without squirt guns, water balloons or flotation devices. It may come as a surprise that some of the most popular water toys were not planned by their inventors, but instead were inspired by random observations. ...
Water’s Complex Human Narrative
The story of water and the need to control is very much the story of human existence. According to author Giulio Boccaletti, efforts to transport and store water for agriculture and human consumption was, and remains, the primary organizing force in human society, a phenomenon that lives on to this day. ...
Power of Personal Connections
Watershape University prioritizes live events. There is simply no substitute for spending time in person with like-minded industry professionals. WU will be on hand at the upcoming International | Pool | Spa | Patio and Deck Expo in Las Vegas, Nov. 12-17, to not only provide top-flight education, but also spend time with friends, old and new. ...
The Canal that Built a Nation
As we celebrate our nation’s independence, here’s an inspiring look at one of the most transforming examples of ingenuity in U.S. history – the Erie Canal. Connecting eastern cities and ports with the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal gave rise to an economic surge and geographic integration that propelled westward expansion. ...