Hailing from the cultural realm of India, the mandala signifies in its original sense a sacred circle. It serves as a meditation aid and at the same time reflects an ancient symbolism of strictly geometric basic forms accompanied by an interpretation of its sacred content. As an expression of the awareness of higher affinities, the symmetrically arranged geometry can be found in a variety of pictorial works and the architecture of various epochs and cultural realms, for example in medieval book illumination, the floor plan of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, in Kazimir Malevich’s Black Square, or in various objects of the indigenous peoples of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Based on these and other masterpieces from renowned museums and private collections and illustrated in fascinating photographs of unique buildings and rituals, this publication offers an impressive first analysis of the phenomenon of sacred geometry in art and architecture and their underlying ideologies.
This is the ultimate bible to Paris unknown.
If you want to see Paris like it is in the movies, Nessy will show you the director’s cut. If you seek the unusual and the underground, she’ll take you down the rabbit hole and park you at the mad hatter’s doorstep. If you think you know Paris, let Nessy challenge you.
This book will encourage the wanderer within. It is a true traveler’s companion as much as a beautifully-designed collectible for your bookshelf. You are about to acquire this curious local’s key to the city that will unlock a precious vault of addresses. Within the pages of this beautifully bound hardback, you will find…
20 Secret Restaurants; 70 Time Traveller’s Bars and Cafés; 50 Romantic Hideaways and Unique Date Ideas; 60 Unexpected Cultural Alternatives to major museums; 50 Movie-worthy Walks & Eye-opening Neighbourhood Discoveries; 35 Cabinets of Curiosity and Aladdin’s Caves; 50 Hip Parisian Hangouts; 50 Places to Inspire & Use Your Creativity; 35 Booklover Havens; 60 Local Food Gems; 40 Places Parisian Families actually take their Kids; 65 Urban Retreats; 30 Obscure/ Underground Adventures; 50 Budget-friendly life-savers; Endless good-to-know Paris tips.
A hundred years after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Museum Fünf Kontinente is showing the special exhibition In trockenen Tüchern! Gewebtes und Besticktes aus dem Osmanischen Reich [A Stitch in Time! Woven and Embroidered Textiles from the Ottoman Empire]. The accompanying publication provides an insight into the different aspects of inhabitants’ life during the Late Ottoman Empire, based on selected textiles and everyday items from the collections of the Museum Fünf Kontinente as well as the private collections of Ther and Middendorf. Together with their rural counterparts featuring woven red and blue patterns, the napkins and hand towels from the 18th to 20th century, artistically embroidered with blossom, fruits, or architectural elements, accompanied people from cradle to grave and bear impressive witness to their craftsmanship. Today these textile objects are a significant part of the cultural legacy of Turkey.
Text in German with partial Turkish translation.
How can industrial buildings with long histories and spatial uniqueness be integrated into urban life more actively? How can newly built industrial plots with large-scale industrial and commercial buildings be situated and integrated into urban planning and design?
This book features nearly 40 cases of redevelopment and industrial design by the German architectural firm gmp Architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen (mainland China), and some German cities. These designs are for commercial and industrial buildings, cultural and convention centers, exhibition halls and data centres. They apply gmp’s design concept to industrial buildings within the context of the metropolis, work that is characterized by conciseness, diversity, unity, uniqueness, and orderliness. This book provides examples of, and references to, urban industrial building areas and industrial architecture design, and can be used as a reference by teachers and students of urban planning studies, architectural history, architectural heritage conservation, and architectural design.
Text in English and Chinese.
“Ballet inspires me. Human beings have the capacity to express themselves through many art forms, but when it comes to dance – and especially classical modern ballet – I am always amazed by that unbelievably elevated form of expression. It’s so precise and so incredibly skilled; I admire that enormously.” — Photographer and filmmaker Erwin Olaf
“The fact that the photographer is looking through the camera lens means they have a different perspective from looking directly at the figure. That is voyeuristic. The camera can do something that the audience member can’t: zooming in for a close-up.” — Choreographer Hans van Manen
The grand master of Dutch dance, Hans van Manen, celebrates his 90th birthday this year. That has given rise to international celebrations by leading ballet companies with the Hans van Manen festival from 8 to 29 June 2022, the exclusive publication Dance in Close-Up and the exhibition of the same name in Galerie Ron Mandos in Amsterdam from 19 June to 17 July 2022.
From the 1970s to the 1990s, Hans van Manen was not only one of the world’s leading choreographers, but also an internationally acclaimed photographer. It was during this period that the then very young photographer Erwin Olaf met the famed artist, who immediately took him under his wing and introduced him to the world of the visual arts and studio photography.
This book celebrates their 40 years of friendship, with a photo series in which Van Manen directs moments from his choreographic career, recorded with the utmost precision by Erwin Olaf.
With text contributions from the authors Nina Siegal and Michael James Gardner.
“A lush, illustrated book shows the “Equestrian Life” in the rich paradise around New York – and is also great fun for non-equestrians.” — Monopol
“His book overflows with breathtaking imagery and rich history.” — Frederic
Equestrian life has an enduring appeal for many of us, but it has a special place in the hearts of Hamptonites. Written by renowned fashion and lifestyle editor, Blue Carreon — an avid equestrian who lives and breathes the Hamptons when not in Manhattan — this luxurious book is his photographic showcase of the glamorous, often exclusive, and intriguing horse-sporting life in the Hamptons. This is a place dotted by bucolic barns and exclusive stables, coexisting with the shingle-style mansions with sweeping manicured lawns and modernist beach houses with uninterrupted views of the dunes and ocean beyond. Wending and looping through the picturesque hills and townships of the Hamptons are horseback-riding trails, world-class public and private equestrian facilities and estates, and premier blue-ribbon horse shows, polo competitions, and more. Blue Carreon also explores the hard work that comes with the glamor that comes with the sport. The thrill and danger that come with the sound of a horse’s galloping steps; the frustration of falls and ecstasy of big wins. Equestrian Life in the Hamptons offers a historic framework to the evolution of equestrian culture in the region, provides details on stables and how they are designed, barn and tack room tours, and the fashions on and off the field (both human and equine) as well as interiors inspired by all things equestrian. These pages are jam-packed with stories and interviews with not only the wealthy weekenders but with those who have devoted their life to their equine passions and the equestrian life.
Appreciation of the works by the German artist couple Annelies and Fred Stelzig from Besigheim in the discipline of art made for architecture has been a long time coming. To mark the 100th anniversary of them both, the town of Besigheim has made this its task. For the large retrospective, a publication is launched that focuses on the incredible breadth of their production for the very first time. Waiting to be discovered alongside wall ceramics and carpets are works in wood, glass, and enamel. Numerous contributions by authoritative experts present the personal backgrounds of the couple, trace lines of development, and highlight the material specificities of their works. Over 300 illustrations additionally provide a lively impression of the couple’s ability to be versatile yet at the same time retain continuity during their long creative period, from the 1950s to their last work in 2006.
With contributions by Christian Behrer, Dieter Büchner, Christiane Fülscher, Sabine Gärttling, Inken Gaukel, Regina Ille-Kopp, Andreas Janssen, Cornelia Marinowitz, Martha Pflug-Grunenberg, and Sandy Richter.
Text in German.
According to medieval theologians, faith is a deadly serious business. Humor and virtue are irreconcilable, because laughter is uncontrollable and escapes the control of reason. A modest smile is permitted. But laughing loudly, grinning and grimacing: these are the playing field of the devil – just as pernicious as other uncontrollable urges, such as physical love or the addiction of the gambler. That is the domain of the peasant or fool.
In the late Middle Ages, every right-thinking town-dweller knew the difference between the peasant and the fool. Peasants are innocently gullible, primitive, throwing themselves into feasting, gorging, drinking and sex. The peasant is the antithesis of the cultivated urbanite, who fastidiously controls his urges – and who therefore above all must not laugh too loudly. Only during Innocents Day parties or Shrove Tuesday celebrations is it permitted for urban partygoers to play the fool and to show their ‘underbelly’.
In contrast to the peasant, the fool escapes the existing order. He holds up a mirror to the self-declared wise citizens, because ‘the fool reveals the truth through laughter’, even though it may be hidden between piss and shit, sex and snot. It is for precisely this reason that Erasmus, in his In Praise of Folly writes not as himself but through the persona of Folly, a broad back behind which the wise person can hide when he denounces social problems. Laughter thus alters the world.
In this context, the fool and irony became important motifs in medieval art, especially in the Low Countries. This original art book is illustrated with dozens of top-quality works by Flemish masters from worldwide collections.
As early as 1934 Charlotte Perriand began to reflect on the architectural aspects of leisure activities for all, but it was with Les Arcs, her greatest work, that she completed her reflection on the art of living in the mountains.
Alongside the developer Roger Godino, Charlotte Perriand displayed all the facets of her immense talent: design, urban planning, but also bioclimatic architecture, of which she was a pioneer. She had to deal with financial and time constraints in order to design most of the Arc 1600 and 1800. Thanks to her perseverance and growing inventiveness, her integration of architecture into the sites, her innovative and human approach to traffic, and the life she breathes into the resort, especially on the rooftops, she has made it a friendly place, in harmony with the environment. Thus, she designs the interior architecture of more than 4,500 homes, 25,000 beds, for an annual flow of more than one million people. Her wish to combine the art of living in the mountains with housing for the greatest number of people has been largely realized.
Today, it seems more urgent than ever to focus more attention in design on the common good. This is because we are faced with the consequences of a design methodology that is geared towards the good of individuals wherever we look. The concept of public value seems ideal as a way of focusing design education more strongly on the common good: Public value is what the public values. It provides an alternative to one-sided orientations such as the shareholder value paradigm.
The iF Design Foundation 2022 has carried out the present study in order to determine the public value of design study programs at German universities. This study provides a basis for encouraging and realizing a form of design education in Germany geared towards the common good. This publication also contains a list of all design courses of study at German universities.
In this book you will rediscover the beloved ‘Country Style,’ which can be applied in so many different ways in a variety of interiors. From modern villas to old fermettes, country design finds its place everywhere. With an emphasis on natural elements, muted colors and an eccentric accent here and there, you’ll learn from these homes how to get started in your own interiors, too. Photographer Brent Darby and author Wink Colville guide you through these more than 20 dream interiors.
China’s Song dynasty (960-1279) ceramics have long been famed for their simple shapes and beautiful glazes. Ceramics in Song China is the first book to look beyond their creation and aesthetics to explore how they functioned in Chinese society in their own time, and beyond. Looking at connections between ceramics and daily life, it takes in geology and environmental impacts as well as the movement of ceramics throughout the expanding Song urban environment. It shows how some ceramics document otherwise forgotten lives and social practices while illuminating how the concerns of poets, scholars and officials are present in others. Concluding with a survey of Song ceramics in the collections of Chinese emperors, Japanese temples, European royalty and English writers, this book presents a new account of how one of the world’s greatest ceramic productions touched every Song life and went on to intrigue generations of admirers across the world.
Rising near the baths of Diocletian, where Imperial Rome once proclaimed its power, the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome stands as a different but no less enduring monument to Italian genius. Inaugurated in 1880 as the Teatro Costanzi, it was born at a pivotal hour – when a newly unified Italy sought not only political coherence but a shared cultural soul. Within its crimson and golden interiors, that soul found one of its most resounding expressions. Here Puccini’s Tosca premiered in 1900, at a time when the theater became both witness and protagonist of modernity – surviving war, regime, and reinvention – while safeguarding a repertoire that binds Italy to the wider world. To enter its auditorium is to step into a continuum: ancient stone outside, velvet and light within, and above all the breath of singers transforming silence into shared memory. This is a stunning volume, enriched by glorious photography, that honors and uplifts one of the most important opera houses in the world.
Text in English and Italian.
Matisse in 400 Images offers a vibrant introduction to one of the most influential artists of modern art. Bringing together 400 carefully selected works, this compact volume traces Henri Matisse’s artistic journey from his early experiments at the turn of the twentieth century to the bold cut-outs of his final years. Alongside celebrated masterpieces, readers will discover lesser-known paintings, drawings, and decorative works that reveal the richness and evolution of his vision.
Organized chronologically, the book follows Matisse’s development through key periods — from the discovery of modern art and the explosive Fauvist years, through phases of decoration, abstraction, and experimentation, to the luminous works created in Nice and the radical innovations of his late career. A remarkable selection of historical photographs further illuminates the artist’s life and creative environment. Accessible and visually engaging, this beautifully illustrated volume is an ideal introduction for a broad audience and an essential companion for all admirers of Matisse and modern art.
This publication offers a rare and fascinating insight into the teaching world of renowned architect Peter Zumthor. Based on previously unpublished material – including letters, sketches and photographs – as well as recent interviews with former students, assistants, colleagues and Zumthor himself, it examines the origins, historical context and far-reaching influence of his pioneering course “Primo Anno” (1996–1999) at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio. The “Primo Anno” exercises form the structural basis of the book, while thematically organized interviews open up diverse perspectives on Zumthor’s thinking and his unique didactic approach. Narrative chapters connect these elements into a common thread, reflecting on the findings and placing them in a broader theoretical context. Based on his dissertation, written between 2018 and 2021, as well as previously unpublished materials and interviews, the Swiss-Brazilian architect Rafael Lorentz documents a rediscovery that not only sheds light on Zumthor’s thinking, but also reveals his formative influence on the identity of the Accademia.
A uniform symbolizes the separation between the individual and their function, the citizen and the state. It also obscures the personality of the wearer.
In his book Uniform, Jan Kraus portrays individuals employed in the executive and judicial branches. Their uniforms change identities, set boundaries, and assign roles simultaneously. Observing these individuals in their private lives offers a fresh perspective, challenges stereotypes, and prompts us to reevaluate our relationship with the state and its representatives.
Text in English and German.
Nature in Close Up reveals flora and fauna like you’ve never seen them before. Award-winning nature photographer Yuan Minghui showcases his extraordinary sensibility and original eye for the natural world through his stunning selection of photographs of the wetlands in Wuhan, China. Each image surprises and thrills, rendering every object an artistic creation in its own right. Yuan Minghui’s ability to create beautiful and meaningful images from our surrounding environment is startling; from winding vines that look like treble clefs and floating aquatic plants with diamond droplets, to the unseen glimpses of insects and amphibians playing out their extraordinary lives. Yuan Minghui sets out to give each and every object the beauty and dignity that he sees in ordinary human life, with the aim of emphasizing the importance of our planet and how we need to give it the care and attention that it deserves.
The Letting Go is a long-standing, performative, and participatory practice by artist Natascha Stellmach. It explores themes of vulnerability and empowerment. Following a meditation and in response to the question, “What would you like to let go of?”, the practice involves identifying, naming, embodying, and experiencing healing and impermanence through the body. Its method includes ritual tattooing without ink (a bloodline tattoo) to address a personal obstacle and initiate an intimate enquiry.
Over a period of almost 10 years, Stellmach performed more than 120 sessions with individuals in galleries and privately, including herself. Through evocative photography, academic research, and participant-contributed selfies and reflections, the publication invites readers to embrace “the wonder in our wounds” and offers a deeply human portrait of what it means to let go.
The book includes a foreword by acclaimed actor Sandra Hüller, as well as essays by curator and arts writer Kelly Gellatly and psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Dr. Matthew McArdle.
This richly illustrated volume, produced by Uzbek publisher Dinara & Co. in partnership with Kulturalis, explores the enduring legacy and contemporary revival of miniature painting in Uzbekistan. Highlighting the work of acclaimed Bukharan master Davlat Toshev, the book guides readers through the intricate brushwork, symbolism and narrative depth of his recent creations. By situating Toshev’s oeuvre within the broader context of Islamic art and the cultural memory of the region, the book demonstrates how these seemingly fantastical images resonate with contemporary audiences. For art lovers, collectors and cultural historians alike, this publication is both a celebration of Uzbekistan’s artistic heritage and a key to unlocking the relevance of miniature painting in modern times.
Copenhagen. One of northern Europe’s chicest cities. A marvel of Scandinavian style, blending the traditional with the modern and the minimalist. Denmark’s capital is a burgeoning design hub, an increasingly popular destination for fans of modern architecture and an unexpected fashion hotspot with a proud ethos of sustainability and its own major biannual fashion week.
Copenhagen. In Fashion is an unmissable opportunity to discover the city’s historic harbor, squares, islands and islets, experience the warmth of the hygge lifestyle and find inspiration in the composed and impossibly urbane Scandi outfits without leaving your own home.
From Paris and New York to more surprising hotbeds of style, the In Fashion series invites you to discover the most fashionable locations in the world. Covering high fashion, classic street style and trendsetting people, as well as interiors, streets, shops and more, each beautifully presented volume offers a unique glimpse into the clothes and fashion culture of a distinct and remarkable destination.
Perfect for fans of fashion and travel.
London is the most diverse of all the great fashion megacities, drawing from a vast palette of cultures, artistic disciplines and historical references to produce some of the world’s best loved and most influential trends. From the flappers of the 1920s to the swinging ’60s, from punks and new romantics to the 21st-century modes of sustainability and representation, the storied British capital has made a habit of crystalizing youthful rebellion by wearing its identity on the outside. Home to Vivienne Westwood, Burberry and Palace, iconic stores like Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, as well as some of the most famous fashion streets on Earth, including Carnaby Street, King’s Road, Savile Row and many more.
London. In Fashion is an unmissable opportunity to walk among London’s trendsetters without leaving your own home.
From Paris and New York to more surprising hotbeds of style, the In Fashion series invites you to discover the most fashionable locations in the world. Covering high fashion, classic street style and trendsetting people, as well as interiors, streets, shops and more, each beautifully presented volume offers a unique glimpse into the clothes and fashion culture of a distinct and remarkable destination.
Perfect for fans of fashion and travel.
A stroll through a maze of winding streets lined with bright white houses, where you might stumble upon little cafés or art galleries, is often the highlight of a holiday. In Villages in White, travel writer Léa Teuscher highlights some of the most remarkable whitewashed destinations around the world. From classics like Santorini to hidden gems like Loutro, these pages will take you to the most spectacular places washed in the lightest hue. Find out what makes each village unique and catch a glimpse of what it’s like to live there. A must-have for globetrotters who want it all: beauty, history, and creativity.
Flowers and plants are a staple of British life. Nearly 40% of our population considers themselves to be gardeners, making this and associated activities a national pursuit. And yet, while we hold endless discussions over how to seed, grow, and disseminate our cherished plants, we still known relatively little about how they were collected, exchanged, circulated, identified, and modified, and how much art has shaped our understanding and appreciation of them. This publication, designed to accompany the homonymous exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, explores some of these plant stories through highlights from Oxford’s collections. Bringing together historical and scientific expertise, art and material culture, traditional and contemporary artworks, this book ultimately reflects on the long-lasting impact of flora on our society – and of us on it.