books
This month, we delve into urban design and overlooked designers, as well as some of today’s most celebrated ones…
1 ‘Portrait of Britain, Vol 5’
The fifth volume in this collaboration between the British Journal of
Photography and Hoxton Mini Press is a fascinating visual record of a nation on the brink of seismic change. In an unstable world shaped by war, and pandemic, as well as rising living costs and temperatures, these 200 portraits offer an alternative view of our collective identity; a celebration of resilience that powerfully reimagines what it means to be British. £25, Hoxton Mini Press (hoxtonminipress.com).
2 ‘New Capital’
Award-winning Belgian photojournalist Nick Hannes casts a critical eye on six newly built capital cities around the world, from Korea to Kazakhstan, and questions whether they are really serving the people who live in them. Throwing up all sorts of challenging questions around urban planning, ‘starchitecture’ and who cities are built for, this thought-provoking, subtly humorous study centres the human dimension at the heart of urbanisation. £45, Lannoo (lannoopublishers.com).
3 ‘Studio Ashby: Home Art Soul’
Launched to coincide with Studio Ashby’s 10th anniversary, this celebratory clothbound volume features residential projects, as well as Sophie Ashby’s own home and Blewcoat School showroom, and captures the essence of her unique art-centred approach to interiors. From an apartment in Paris to a historic San Franciscan house, each brims with her signature details, demonstrating why Ashby is one of the most reliably inspirational names in British design. £45, Rizzoli (rizzoliusa.com).
4 ‘Trailblazing Women Printmakers’
Led by American illustrator Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios, the Folly Cove Designers were a collective of craftspeople, most of them women, who worked in Massachusetts from 1941 to 1969, and whose work conveyed perso
