classical

For centuries, gardens the world over have been decorated by statuary, fountains and benches, with every such item dedicated to the proposition of enhancing the enjoyment of these outdoor spaces. Here, Maria Lynch Dumoulin discusses the history of these pieces within the design tradition – and speaks of her company’s role in preserving and replicating objects that speak to us across continents, eras and styles with ease.

Classic Figures

It's amazing how the traditions of art and craft tracing back through centuries still inform today's designs. That's particularly true in the field of garden ornamentation, where modern statuary, fountains, vases and seating elements take their cues from original works found in ancient Greece and China, in Renaissance Italy and France - and from just about every other era and location around and between. This depth of available imagery is both a boon and a challenge to those in the business of supplying garden ornaments to today's architects, landscape architects, watershapers and their clients. There's just

For many years, watershaper/teacher/provocateur David Tisherman has urged his colleagues to get out and explore the world. Actually seeing architecture, art and ancient ruins in their own contexts, he says, is a sure-fire way to develop a sense of your place in design history and to inspire your own design ideas – a point he drives home by leading us around Asia Minor and discussing what he sees in light of his own work in the here and now.

Classical Influences

It's a point I'll probably make to the end of my days: There is no substitute for travel and exploration of the historic world to learn about design. In my "Details" column in the June 2005 issue of WaterShapes, for example, I discussed my recent trip to Turkey and made the point that the ruins and intact structures we examined while there were full of specific details that I and other watershapers use in our work - whether or not we recognize that what we're doing actually derives from ancient original works. Showing what I mean in the clearest possible terms is what this pictorial article is all about. As you will see, I've included