Pleasure Garden Issue 4 (The Romance of the trees) is available now at LOREM (not Ipsum). The Romance of the Trees sees Pleasure Garden wander into the forest where we uncover the special relationship we have with trees—their deep roots that run through our unconscious. In the Beginning—The Tree of Life opens the issue with Alison Morris considering the cultural metaphors, symbolism and role the tree plays in our worldview. Ernest Henry Wilson our Icon, is a man who hunted far and wide in search of new trees to bring to the West. His road trips around New England in the 1920s, documenting the remarkable elms there, stirred us to undertake our own. Yoshiyuki Matsumara headed to Upstate New York taking in the autumn tones, whilst Linda Brownlee visited the giants of California. The annual Hastings Jack in the Green festival is photographed by Jo Metson Scott and Nina Lyon shares with us the forest personified in the Green Man. Palm Court by Joss McKinley and Marisa Competello captures the fantasy of these spaces of a bygone era and the enchantment of the palm tree. We visit Mumbai with Bharat Sikka and consider the concept of the urban forest with Cecil Konijnendijk.
Taking inspiration from the pleasure gardens of 18th century London the Pleasure Garden magazine engages its public with an array of attractions – ranging from the past to the present, the sedate to the salacious. Here we step away from the practicalities of the garden instead placing it within a wider cultural context. The pleasure garden was always a place to escape to – a fantasy in a garden, filled with art, music, fashion, society and sex. It is this mix that we transport to the printed pages of Pleasure Garden magazine. The Garden Edit takes a modern approach to gardening and plants. Adopting a unique point of view that merges functionality, design and craftsmanship – we bring together a curated selection of garden-related products from internationally recognised and emerging designers. Working with photographers and writers we also document the garden through a contemporary lens, showcasing interesting figures and spaces within the botanical world.
Details: Pleasure Garden – Issue 4
210 pages, 36 x 28 cm, Softcover
