Ten Landscapes Topher Delaney (Ten Landscapes)

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Narrative of Beautiful Gardens
Review: Having seen Topher Delaney's work first hand on the West Coast and having heard her speak, I was anxious to read her book, Ten Landscapes. Delaney is an artist, architect, landscape designer, gardener and contractor rolled into one very passionate, humorous, spiritual being. She is a unique designer whose work is considered " cutting edge," This book will challenge your perceptions of what a garden can be. Ten Landscapes is a wonderful narrative with fabulous photographs. A must read for those who are into landscape architecture or who just enjoy beautiful gardens.

Rating:
Summary: Evocative after a pompous beginning
Review: This book gave me a true taste of the original vision of Topher Delaney. I found the photographs and narrative fascinating and inspirational for the budding landscape architect, and probably of interest to any student of the creative process. However, I also was truly offended by the foreword written by Maggie Peng (whoever she might be) which sounded like a parody of all the pomposity and bombast associated with art criticism. Also, though the book has been designed in a clear and easy on the eyes format, it suffers from the annoying characteristic many of its tabletop/art book ilk share: a preoccupation with showing only 'details' and skewed points of view that make each photograph an evocative masterpiece but prevent the reader from getting a complete visualization of how each garden example was actually setup. A single pedestrian long view shot or just a simple blueprint would have sufficed to give me the big picture concept unfiltered by the book photographer's sensibility. Otherwise, Topher Delaney and her multiple visions do come through on the page and I enjoyed the book.

Rating:
Summary: Evocative after a pompous beginning
Review: This book gave me a true taste of the original vision of Topher Delaney. I found the photographs and narrative fascinating and inspirational for the budding landscape architect, and probably of interest to any student of the creative process. However, I also was truly offended by the foreword written by Maggie Peng (whoever she might be) which sounded like a parody of all the pomposity and bombast associated with art criticism. Also, though the book has been designed in a clear and easy on the eyes format, it suffers from the annoying characteristic many of its tabletop/art book ilk share: a preoccupation with showing only 'details' and skewed points of view that make each photograph an evocative masterpiece but prevent the reader from getting a complete visualization of how each garden example was actually setup. A single pedestrian long view shot or just a simple blueprint would have sufficed to give me the big picture concept unfiltered by the book photographer's sensibility. Otherwise, Topher Delaney and her multiple visions do come through on the page and I enjoyed the book.

Rating:
Summary: spiritual?
Review: very interesting the way Topher Delaney passes her work off as spiritual. in what feels like a sell-out to the new-age craze, the designs feel contrived. the drawings and text suggest some sublime meaning in the works, look closer and the message is a one liner. the designs seem too similar to be real narratives. unless, all of the clients were one and the same.