Crossing the Rocky Landscape: The Landscape Discourse of Bernard Lassus (Environmental Aesthetics Series 05)

Author: (French) Michel Conan, translated by Zhao Hongmei, Li Yueying
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: This book is one of the few critical studies on artistic creation based on empirical observation, a tradition that began with Rudolf Arnheim's famous review, "The Origin of Painting: Picasso's Guernica," in 1962. This book also serves as a research foundation for the entire landscape project design process, utilizing a wealth of documents and photographs that mark on-site engineering progress. From a purely design perspective, this project is highly unconventional, emphasizing the creation of visual rhythm in the landscape. The book first highlights the distinction between architectural design and landscape design; second, it encourages further exploration of the characteristics of modern landscape design and creation in various cultural contexts. The design of the Crazannes quarry is unique, with the aim of providing an artwork that speaks to different audiences without imposing an authoritarian sense of taste. It is a scenario landscape, attracting diverse interests from urban and rural residents, as well as from car drivers and hikers, who may not share the same viewing experience. Those interested in local history, ecology, archaeology, or photography will also approach it with different appreciation methods. Designers concerned with the cultural diversity of nature in the modern world may find this approach particularly compelling. Finally, the book introduces a new landscape aesthetics. It is worth emphasizing the relevance of this landscape project to modern China, as well as the integration of highway construction and landscape aesthetics. Undoubtedly, the uniqueness of the design and its dialogue with the Crazannes quarry demonstrate a valuable example. The book does not intend to propose a design model but rather offers a way of thinking. As you read and reflect on the creative possibilities it presents, you will come to appreciate this book even more. It is aimed at readers from various fields: scholars and students in philosophy, art and aesthetics, landscape architecture and planning, urban and environmental design, cultural geography, and environmental studies. Crucially, it is also for those interested in environmental issues and willing to think about their meaning and challenges in a different way.