Bruce Rosenbaum Designs a Steampunk Aquarium Celebrating the Jules Vern Novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”

Client : The Museum of Aquarium & Pet History
Location : San Luis Obispo, CA
Description : 3ft. wide X 4ft. high X 2ft. deep: 250lb. aquarium
Materials : Fish tank, Victorian-era steam engine related objects, water tank components from vintage aquariums, antique chocolate molds, additional repurposed period items, LED lighting, magnifying glass, steamer trunk, wood tabletop, and steel
Timeline : 4 months to design, engineer, and fabricate

Challenge: How to create a noteworthy exhibit for a California museum that honors the history of people keeping pets

Solution: Build a one-of-a-kind aquarium tank themed around a book and author credited as one of the earliest examples of Steampunk fiction

Inspiration: In the course of the iconic tale, the main protagonist, Captain Nemo, has his futuristic, electricity powered submarine nearly destroyed by a giant squid. But, what if Nemo were to create a mechanical “octopus” Kraken that he could pilot to attack and defeat his biological nemesis?

This is the premise upon which Bruce Rosenbaum, Steampunk ReImagineer in collaboration with metal sculptor Jon Bander, who created the Kraken’s body and aquarium structure and stand, began this latest kinetic sculpture, originally commissioned by an Italian collector of aquarium antiquities.

Gary Bagnall, the museum’s curator and executive director, said the whimsical Steampunk artwork was the perfect addition to the unique collection of more than 3,000 items that were historically used to keep pets.

Additional features of the Steampunk exhibit include a working antique piston water pump that creates kinetic movement, a magnifying glass for viewing aquatic life, and a color changing LED octopus logo affixed to a vintage steamer trunk that is repurposed as the base of the aquarium tank.