We asked our Head of School, Professor Gerald Adler, and our Deputy Head of School, Professor Marialena Nikolopoulou for their recommendations on books or films to get stuck into over the festive season, and here are their thoughts:
Professor Gerald Adler shares, “A few evenings curled up reading Witold Rybczynski’s Home: A Short History of an Idea will certainly get anyone fascinated in domestic space. The familiar is so often overlooked, and rejected as banal, but ‘home truths’ tell us so much about our human condition. Rybczynski writes with elegance and wit, and gets us into surprising depths.
In a similar, but poetic, vein my favourite volume of Seamus Heaney, Seeing Things, is the archetypal ‘touchy-feely’ accompaniment to the thinginess of our world. If you are tired of the overuse of the word ‘materiality’, then this slim volume is the perfect antidote. And finally, if you want to understand what is arguably England’s greatest contribution to the visual arts, see or read Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia. It will tell you in an amusing nutshell everything you need to know about the Picturesque, and about the historical decline from ‘thinking to feeling’ as his protagonist Hannah declares.
If you want a more academic take, then do read Nikolaus Pevsner’s The Englishness of English Art. Happy reading!”
Professor Marialena Nikolopoulou reflects, “With the year coming to a close, 2020 will be remembered for many reasons. Amongst these, it was the year that we learned to fully appreciate nature. Our daily walks during the national lockdown periods provided the highlight of the day. It was the year that awakened our senses and public gardens were celebrated.
Chip Sullivan’s Garden and Climate reminds us of the elements that make successful gardens, through a fascinating historical journey focusing on deign and microclimates. Shifting our attention indoors, Lisa Heschong’s Thermal Delight in Architecture highlights the role of the thermal perception along with its rich cultural associations. Architecture needs to move beyond visual aesthetics, using thermal qualities and enriching our experiences for successful building design. In the era of climate change, I would argue both of these books are more relevant than ever!”