Author and photographer John Lander takes the magnificent UNESCO World Heritage sites of Japan as a starting point for exploring the country’s architecture, history, customs and festivals. Lander, who has lived in Japan for 35 years, traveled to almost all the country’s UNESCO sites: from well-known places like Mount Fuji to hidden temple gardens and hard-to-reach wild islands. This book also includes cultural elements listed as intangible world heritage, providing intimate portraits of Japanese cuisine, crafts and performance arts. With a lyrical preface by Pico Iyer and illustrated with over 180 full-color photographs, World Heritage Japan is Lander’s personal photographic tribute to a diverse and ancient culture – a stunning visual journey across Japan.
Said to have been written sometime in the fourth century BC, the Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana is much more than a mere description of exotic sexual practices. It is an ancient classical work on the art of love.
Written in the style of a scientific manual, the book offers a view of sexuality absolutely untinged by guilt, shame or the sense of sin. In this gorgeous edition, the male-female union is portrayed in all its splendor through the use of Indian miniatures and other paintings.
Japan is a land of diversity and contradictions with a unique, somewhat mysterious culture. It is a place where you will find ancient temples, shrines and customs cherished and unchanged for over thousand years, as well as cutting edge technology and trendsetting architecture. V
isitors will be amazed by the courteous and warm way travelers are welcomed and the delicacy of Japanese food and art.
Although in Japan the majority of the population lives in vibrant contemporary cities like Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka, historical places like Kamakura, Kyoto and Nikko are always close. The Japanese archipelago consists of thousands of islands that are often densely forested and mountainous. Situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire the highly volcanic activity in the region has shaped over time stunning landscapes with many natural wonders to discover.
Marc Popelier’s frequent visits to Japan and life-long interest in the country and culture have crystallized into the pages of this book. It is a perfect introduction to Japan and will surely tempt anyone to visit this fascinating country.
Another Escape: Designing the Modern Guest House II, features a wide array of guest houses from around the world, highlighting the best of modern hospitality. Its projects offer architecturally interesting designs of predominantly reconstructed and restored buildings, set in beautiful and unique environments. A beautiful location is a vital criterion for a successful guest house. Humans are hardwired to enjoy two types of scenery: the lush and the novel. As cities become the default way of living for large swathes of humanity, we are beginning to place greater value on lush natural beauty. We all feel good in picturesque natural environments, be that walking in a sun-dappled forest, marveling at snow-capped mountains, or watching waves breaking on pristine beaches. But the novel, the new, also moves us. In this richly photographed book you will find beautiful examples of guest houses that make the most of both the lush and the novel. From houses in Greece that are designed to frame spectacular views of the sea to the loft-style spaces in the heart of wooden alpine area in the ancient heart of Slovenia, the guest houses in this book feature striking architecture, tactile materials, and new typologies in luxuriant settings. Designer solutions extend beyond simple architectural models. This book provides in-depth narratives on refining interiors, such as best spatial layouts, colour palette ideas, unique lighting applications, soft furnishing options, and other design aspects. Each case study draws out detailed references on how to merge practicality with the motifs of nature and art for the perfect design combination: one that offers the user convenience, comfort, and a unique experience.
There’s something especially beautiful about being able to look to the full expanse of a horizon, something that speaks to the most ancient part of our soul. With the continuing build up of our surroundings, that precious ability to gaze into the unfettered distance is one we all appreciate and savor.
This stunning edition showcases incredible houses in simply amazing locations, where the architect has rightly championed the accessibility to the endless views. Lavishly illustrated with full-color images of award-winning architecture, this compilation draws you in through its winning designs, but its the glorious and enticing images of the vast horizon that will capture your imagination.
We may all not be lucky enough to inhabit an eye-catching designer home with views to die for, but at least we can all share the beauty through these breathtakingly evocative images. Truly a book in which to lose yourself.
In his artistic jewelery work, Jiro Kamata (b. 1978) deals with optical phenomena in connection with the perception of values. In doing so he also thematizes traditional production methods. He processes found and sometimes used materials into rings, brooches and pendants.
Kamata’s works are generated in respect of an ‘experienced memory’; only through experience and interaction with them do they attain their value. Kamata keeps the entire process in view at the same time: from manufacture to performance as worn on the wearers’ bodies.
Lenses, mirrors, even adhesive tapes offer insights, outlooks and perspectives, link wearers with their environments and query the assumed positions at the same time: How do we see the world and how does the world see us?
Text in English, Chinese and Japanese.
A Passion for Porcelain brings together papers delivered at an international symposium held in 2018 at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada, in honor of Meredith Chilton, C.M., one of the foremost scholars and curators of 18th century European porcelain. Authored by leading scholars in the field, the essays take us on a journey from Sèvres, France to Japan via Boston, US, where we encounter both revered artists and anonymous makers, together with passionate collectors past and present. The contributions also explore the medium of porcelain in the context of artistic rivalry and gift exchange, as an object of fashion and scientific curiosity and as a symbol of status and power. Together they reveal the versatility of the medium, changing perceptions and endless possibilities for porcelain scholarship.
From the late 15th to the mid-16th century, an impressive corpus of architecture, sculpture, and painting was created to embellish monastic sites affiliated with the Benedictine Cassinese Congregation of Italy. A religious order of humanistically trained monks, the Cassinese engaged with the most eminent artists and architects of the early modern period, supporting the production of imagery and architecture that was often highly experimental in nature: from Raphael’s Sistine Madonna in Piacenza to Andrea Riccio’s Moses/Zeus Ammon, from Andrea Palladio’s church of San Giorgio Maggiore (Venice) to the superbly crafted choirstalls of San Severino and Sossio (Naples).
Applying a network framework to the congregation’s infrastructure of monasteries makes clear that the circulation of sophisticated Renaissance art and architecture constituted only a segment of the monks’ investment in the arts. Monks also served as custodians of an antique monumental heritage and popular votive images, assuring the survival of ancient buildings and artifacts of limited aesthetic value that supplied opportunities for early modern masters to confront an array of artworks for the reinvention of reformed Christian art and architecture.
Text in English, Italian and German.
Luigi Valadier, son of the French-born Andrea, obtained his silversmith license in 1760 and became one of the most celebrated artists in Europe, working for the noble families of Rome (Borghese, Odescalchi, Chigi, Orsini), cardinals and popes and a broad international clientele which included the Duke of Northumberland, Madame du Barry, the Balì of Malta, Jacques-Laure Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, the King of Sweden, Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria, the Count of the North, heir to the Russian throne, etc. His workshop situated near Piazza di Spagna employed dozens of craftsmen and produced not only silverware but also bronze statues, often copies of ancient sculptures, magnificent clocks, vases in precious marbles, lamps, huge candelabras, furniture, desers, reliquaries and liturgical vessels, and much more. In 1785 while completing commissions for the Borghese prince and working on the cast of the enormous bell of St Peter’s, he committed suicide by drowning in the Tiber river, possibly due to the severe economic challenges from which his extraordinary workshop was suffering.
Delhi Then and Now comprises two masterful essays that trace the story of Delhi from the days when it was known by other names Indraprastha, Firozabad, Dinpanah to its reincarnation as New Delhi. Historian Narayani Gupta takes us through the city of Sultans, Mughal emperors and viceroys, while journalist Dilip Bobb shows us the face of New Delhi as it is now. A rich portfolio of archival photographs and illustrations, together with vibrant new pictures, edited by Pramod Kapoor, capture Delhi in all its glory past and present.
Delhi Then – A city of empires and dynasties, Delhi through the ages has evoked nostalgia of its history written on the red sandstone walls. From Quila Rai Pithora to the palace on Raisina Hill, the changing face of Delhi is remarkably discernible in these photographs – a special collection that give words to the spoken and unspoken history of this city. Delhi Now – A city of dreams and desires, Delhi’s urban landscape is incomplete without the stones of seven ancient cities which give it a distinct meaning, a distinct outlook. A modern city on the move, the colors and digital vibrancy of the photographs capturing Delhi in all moods and moments, is as imposing as the grand old structures of yesteryears. A twin city of old-world charm and new extravagance, Delhi has evolved through the ages and is looking forward to an era that will be remembered down the ages.
Kashmiri cuisine is one of the most delectable and ancient cuisines in the world because of the many foreign influences. People are still a trifle inhibited about cooking it, because, like any delicacy, it demands a delicate sense of the instinct after you have measured ingredients by the spoon or the ladle. But Sarla Razdan’s book will chip away the inhibitions and introduce you to a world that cannot be described at the inadequate level of mere words.
Kashmiri Cuisine: Through the Ages
is not just a cookbook but also showcases the splendour of Kashmir through beautiful vintage and new photographs bringing alive the history and culture of the place. A collection of authentic, comprehensive and easy-to-make recipes, popular within the Kashmiri community, makes this book indispensable to all lovers of good food. A section on low calorie Kashmiri food is a treat for the health conscious!
is a behind-the-scenes account of today’s aristocracy, as they reinvent the country house way of life. Each family does this in its own way, maintaining the tradition of individualism, even eccentricity, which is so much associated with country houses. Dylan Thomas’s superb yet intimate photographs capture both the inhabitants of these houses and the spaces they occupy – from State dining to family kitchen, walled garden to attic. This feast for the eyes is accompanied by an equally mouth-watering text by Clive Aslet, based on interviews with family members and his long experience of the subject through his years as editor of Country Life. The result is an exclusive tour of a dozen spectacular homes.
On the Trail of Buddha – A Journey to the East is a unique sojourn in search of the richness, depth, and breadth of the spiritual, philosophical, and cultural linkages that bind India to the East Asia civilizations of China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. From the wandering monks of Asia to the temples and monasteries they visited; from the statues and frescoes in grottoes and temples to those in the museums; from the emperors who embraced Buddhism to the relics of Buddha spread far and wide; from the diverse ethnicities of the people to their common gods and goddesses – the book touches upon the entire gamut of the East-Asian culture and its deep-rooted linkages with the Indian civilization, which will be an eye-opener for many.
Beginning with the 12,000-year-old cave paintings of Bhimbetka, up to the Bah’ai House of Worship, a blinding masterpiece of 20th-century engineering and design, the wealth of creative genius, brilliant skill and endeavor of its people are evident in India’s man-made wonders. Between the soaring medieval temples of the South and dramatically perched Buddhist monasteries of the North; the uniquely ornamented stepwells of the West and the grand Victoria Memorial, a symbol of British supremacy in the East, lie massive forts, fairy-tale palaces, tombs of Sultans, ruined ancient cities, statuesque cathedrals, and of course, the resplendent Taj Mahal. Along with these are the wonders bestowed on India by nature. In a country blessed with astoundingly diverse ecology and terrain, these range from the mighty Himalayan peaks of Nanda Devi and Kanchenjunga to the elephant-inhabited lush tropical forests of Periyar, and from the pristine-white island beaches of Lakshadweep to the tiger-infested delta of two legendary rivers: the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Showcased in this book, in a feast of lavish colour photographs and lucid text, are 100 fabulous destinations that evoke the wonder that is India.
This book is an ode to the mythological heritage of Bharatanatyam. The visual narrative captures the rich heritage of this temple dance and its original exponents, the Devadasis or ‘handmaidens of the deity’. Its repertoire of movements and moods bring alive the fascinating stories of Hindu gods and goddesses and their kaleidoscopic lives. In the following pages, the authors have traced the myths and legends that are cherished in our performing arts, to delight the culture-curious reader. And what is interesting is that in these stories, the reader will discover the inter-connectedness of ancient mythologies around the world. Perhaps such discoveries go a long way in validating the role that art plays in connecting civilizations. The book is designed to engage the reader without pedagogy or scholastic strictures, but with a lightness of touch, that entertains while it informs. Because the vision here is to weave information, anecdotes and trivia, together in the spirit of a popular cultural ranconteur. Replete with rare photographs curated from the Sohinimoksha World Dance and Communications archives, complemented by a lucid narrative that wraps facts in the language of romance and adventure, this book promises to be a collector’s item for those who value the legacy of India’s most celebrated dance form. For glimpses of some live performances by Sohini Roychowdhury, and her Sohinimoksha World Dance troupe, celebrating the music, dance, mythology of India and the World, go on-line to ‘Dancing With The God…. with Sohinimoksha World Dance’ at https://youtu.be/naR7p6SKiko
Jun wares were made in north China over a period of 400 years, from the 11th to the 15th centuries. These ceramics are unique both for their artistry and the complex techniques required to produce them. Jun wares are subtle yet dramatic — red and purple bursts of color splash across thick, cloudy blue glazes, containing bubbles and many gradations of tone. To achieve these effects, the production of Jun ware was complex and ingenious, relying on novel techniques.
This book gathers illustrations and descriptions of some of the finest Jun wares in private and public collections around the world. The account starts with ceramics dating to the Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties and proceeds to the stunning ‘Official’ Jun wares made in the early Ming dynasty. Copious illustrations are augmented with a scholarly essay. Highlighting over 191 pieces of Jun ware with 425 illustrations from 17 major museums, Dazzling Official Jun Wares will inspire collectors, students and anyone with a love for Chinese ceramics.
The inhabitants of Italian artist Maria Lai’s hometown of Ulassai live surrounded by mountains and a theater of rocks, far from Sardinia’s famous coastline. This book documents Lai’s best-known large-scale collective art project, Legarsi alla Montagna (Bound to the Mountain) which took place over 3 days beginning on September 8th, 1981. Harkening back to a Sardinian legend of a young girl saved from death by chasing a blue ribbon out of a cave, the artist convinced the residents of Ulassai to tie their homes and the mountain together with 17 miles of blue ribbon. A symbolic act of communal unity, the process was tempered by personal conflicts and ancient family feuds, resulting in ribbon that was knotted (for friendship), wrapped tightly (for conflict), or hung with bread (for love). This combination of land art, performance art, and sculpture was captured at the time by renowned photographer Piero Berengo Gardin, in images that the artist has worked with watercolors and markers. Art historian Elena Pontiggia has contributed the text.
Text in English and Italian.
Inspiring Ikebana is the sequel to Exploring Ikebana, the first book by world famous ikebana artist Ilse Beunen. Throughout her career she has been inspired by many different things and as all artists do, she is continually looking for inspiration to create something new and innovative. Having written a comprehensive introduction to the ancient Japanese art of flower arrangement, she reveals in this new book several sources of inspiration: nature, the four seasons, festivals, vases and containers, artificial material, art and emotions.
More than 40 stunning ikebana creations, both in traditional and modern styles, are lavishly illustrated with detailed step by step photographs of the creative process, making it easy to follow and achieve a great result.
“Charles Higham – rugby player, talented excavator and one of the great archaeologists of his generation – is an engaging raconteur. His fast-moving autobiography tells of the life well lived, of a world authority on Southeast Asia’s past. This is a fascinating and adventurous journey complete with academic debates, serious archaeology, its triumphs and minor disasters galore. Read this book if you aspire to be an archaeologist. It will inspire you to great deeds.” – Brian Fagan, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, University of California, Santa Barbara.
“Higham charts an archaeological Odyssey from Roman Britain via the Bronze Age stock-breeders of central Europe to prehistoric Thailand and the origins of Angkor. This complements a personal journey equally eventful, from a double first and rugby blue at Cambridge to building a university department in New Zealand. Here is a life laden with academic honours and the thrill of discovery on a series of digs that have transformed understanding of the human past in a hitherto-under-evaluated part of the ancient world.” – Professor Norman Hammond, Senior Fellow, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge University.
“Charles Higham presents a readable and often witty account of a golden age in archaeological excavation in Thailand, Neolithic to Iron Age, from his perspective as a fundamental contributor. A must-read for colleagues, students, and the interested public are like.” – Emeritus Professor Peter Bellwood, Australian National University.
In this unique memoir, Charles Higham, one of the great archeologists of his generation, describes the inside story of how his many excavations have introduced Southeast Asia’s past to a worldwide audience. For over 50 years, he and his Thai colleagues have explored the arrival of early humans, the impact of the first farmers, the remarkable rise of social elites with the spread of metallurgy and the origins of civilizations. Once seen as a cultural backwater, Southeast Asia now takes center stage in understanding the human past.