Drawing from diverse disciplines including philosophy, history, cultural criticism, visceral geography, urban studies, gender studies, and racial aesthetics, the 18th Issue of LA+ explores the elusive and enigmatic theme BEAUTY in relation to landscape architecture and the constructed environment.
Rather than arrive at any one singular definition of beauty, within its pages, contributors challenge readers with alternative views through deep and critical reflection. What is a beautiful landscape today? Is there such a thing as natural beauty? Why do humans across the cultural spectrum concern themselves so much with the beautification of themselves, their objects, and their surroundings? Is beautification benevolent or nefarious? Is there valueeconomic or otherwisein beauty, and whose interests do ideals of beauty serve? In the end, why does beauty matter at all?
LA+ BEAUTY is guest-edited by Colin Curley, a New York-based landscape architect and architect whose work navigates the complex environmental and sociopolitcal dimensions of disturbed, contaminated industrial landscapes, and seeks to expand the range of their aesthetic and experiential potential.
4 Editorial colin curley
8 The aesthetic niche: multispecies aesthetics in times of ecological crisis
mariagrazia portera
16 Circe: counter-narratives of beauty in renaissance landscape design luke
morgan
24 Asphalt + other ugly-beauties: a melting lexicon gretchen ernster
henderson
36 Beautiful eyesores: ways of seeing wind energy dan van der horst + saskia
vermeylen
44 Lake sihl: inventing a hydroelectric landscape sarem sunderland
52 Getting to just green enough winifred curran, michelle stuhlmacher +elsa
anderson
60 Blackness and beauty: in conversation with brandi thompson summers libby
viera-bland
66 Sex in the city: panopticon or pornotopia? vincent baptist
74 The physics of beauty adrian bejan
80 Visceral beauty jeffrey blankenship + jessica hayes-conroy
88 Drawing landscape sanda iliescu
94 In conversation with elizabeth k. meyer Colin Curley
104 Natural cosmetics nicholas holm
Image credits
Upcoming Issues
Edited by Tatum L. Hands and Richard J. Weller. All contributors: Mariagrazia Portera, Luke Morgan, Elizabeth Meyer, Colin Curley, Jeffrey Blankenship, Jessica Hayes-Conroy, Gretchen Ernster Henderson, Sarem Sunderland, Dan van der Horst, Saskia Vermeylen, Winifred Curran, Michelle Stuhlmacher, Elsa Anderson, Brandi Thompson Summers, Libby Viera-Bland, Sanda Iliescu, Adrian Bejan, Vincent Baptist, Nicholas Holm
