On Landscapes / Edition 1

by Susan Herrington

Overview

There is no escaping landscape: it's everywhere and part of everyone's life. Landscapes have received much less attention in aesthetics than those arts we can choose to ignore, such as painting or music – but they can tell us a lot about the ethical and aesthetic values of the societies that produce them.

Drawing on examples from a wide range of landscapes from around the world and throughout history, Susan Herrington considers the ways landscapes can affect our emotions, our imaginations, and our understanding of the passage of time. On Landscapes reveals the design work involved in even the most naturalistic of landscapes, and the ways in which contemporary landscapes are turning the challenges of the industrial past into opportunities for the future. Inviting us to thoughtfully see and experience the landscapes that we encounter in our daily lives, On Landscapes demonstrates that art is all around us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415991247
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/06/2008
Series:	Thinking in Action
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x (d)

About the Author

Susan Herrington is an Associate Professor of landscape architecture and environmental design at the University of British Columbia. She is also a licensed landscape architect in the United States.

Table of Contents

Introduction. Who Designs Landscapes? What Can Landscapes Represent? Are Landscapes Natural? Memory and Emotion. Instrumental Imagination. Aesthetic Experience

Editorial Reviews

"Herrington deftly and succinctly draws together a vast range of material on landscape from several disciplines. She writes engagingly without oversimplifying; she thinks carefully without losing sight of the lay of the land. Both lay readers and professionals will come away from this small gem looking at and living in the landscape in new ways."
–Bruce Janz, University of Central Florida, USA

"[Herrington's] focus on contemporary landscapes is a fresh approach that is commendable in its scope as well as being rich, informative and accessibly written. While it draws on diverse philosophical perspectives it also draws on an impressive range of interdisciplinary sources. On Landscapes is an indispensable starting point for anyone who wants to think seriously about landscapes."
-Environmental Values

From the Publisher