Pages

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

If only ...


If only this ephemeral stream were about 400 feet east of its present location, I'd have it in my garden. Am I a hopeless romantic?

Well not in every way... I got Tim Richardson's new Avant Gardeners ("50 Visionaries of the Contemporary Landscape") last week. With its emphasis on conceptual gardens, it's a strong antidote to lingering romanticism. Richardson's writing is, as usual, stimulating, full of ideas, and a delight. I won't try to evaluate the book because I haven't finished it. Unfortunate that it's not a larger format though; it's rather hard to see the point with such tight page layouts. And I definitely find the graphic design to be lacking, really dated (think psychedelic 60s). It doesn't do the content justice. Nevertheless, I recommend you buy the book. The essays alone are worth the price.

3 comments:

  1. Ach you lucky thing James..I am in the book and yet to see the full 'monty'..but have see a scan of my section! The publishers requested very large photo files of me and used tiny 'postage' stamp size display for my bit!! I am it seems an "eco-apologist mainstream" entry and not one of the truly 'sexy' new conceptualists ..perhaps even smaller pics or none at all might have been the ticket! A much awaited book none the less!
    Best William Martin 'Wigandia'

    P.S. Can't you divert that wee creek in the still of the nacht!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I thought everything on the property was your garden! Just because you yourself haven't cultivated it, is it not your garden?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unfortunately, the previous owners sold it to the State of New Jersey's Green Acres program. Although I can't claim it, it's on land preserved in its natural wild state.

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails