A Giant Melithaea fan in the coral reef near Ie Island, a small island off Okinawa’s coast that is popular with scuba divers. The photo is on display at Ippotuko. (Courtesy of Danielle Caceres-Bricheno)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Giant Melithaea and Echinogorgia fans. Scleronephthya whips. They’re hard to pronounce, but beautiful to look at.
Photographs of the species, more commonly known as soft coral, and of fish, octopi and other underwater creatures of Okinawa are on display this month at a local restaurant. A local Marine dependent is the photographer.
The soba place, Ippotuko in Urasoe City, serves up art with its noodles.
Owner Masako Uehara turned the walls of her restaurant into a gallery, and each month a local artist exhibits photographs, oil paintings or other artworks that customers can buy.
“When I opened the noodle shop four years ago, I decided to open the gallery at the same time,” Uehara said. “Because I myself do oil painting, I wanted to offer a place and opportunity for artists to display their works.”
Photographer Danielle Caceres-Bricheno is featured this month.
Caceres-Bricheno, an English teacher at a local elementary school and college, largely taught herself the tricky techniques for underwater photography after moving to Okinawa with her husband, Capt. Andres Caceres-Solari.
The 32-year-old Brit travels around the Pacific scuba diving and taking photographs. Although most of the work exhibited is from around Okinawa, a few of the photographs are from her trip to Australia where she participated in shark research off the Osprey Reef.
“I want to give a view for people to see what is underwater,” she said.
Diners seem to be enjoying the display, Uehara said.
“I see many visitors take their time and intently look at each one of the photographs,” she said.
About the show
“The Underwater World” is on display until Aug. 31.
The gallery is open daily. Weekday hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. for lunch, 5-8 p.m. for dinner; weekends and holidays 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
View Caceres-Bricheno photographs at: www.pbase.com/ the_underwater_world and at www.picturetrail.com/ worldnomads.
