NOVEDADES

A valuable insight into the works and mind of Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. Author Philip Jodidio explores long anticipated completed buildings, new projects, and a future outlook of the studio Shigeru Ban after TASCHEN has followed his career from the beginning. This monograph is a journey through the years and evolution of an architect who made a name for himself with true architectural marvels that cannot be surpassed in innovation, elegance, and sensibility. Next to early buildings deploying paper tubes as structural elements, as well as houses that challenge as fundamental an idea as walls, like the Curtain Wall House in Tokyo and the Wall-Less House in Nagano’s countryside, we see plenty of recent versatile projects. View a two-story penthouse on top of a 140-year-old New York City landmark cast-iron house, the Swatch/Omega Campus in Switzerland, and the Seine Musicale, a concert hall inserted into an overall master plan conceived by Jean Nouvel for the island Île Seguin in France.

The Kisokaido route through Japan was ordained in the early 1600s by the country’s then-ruler Tokugawa Ieyasu, who decreed that staging posts be installed along the length of the arduous passage between Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Kyoto. Inns, shops, and restaurants were established to provide sustenance and lodging to weary travelers. In 1835, renowned woodblock print artist Keisai Eisen was commissioned to create a series of works to chart the Kisokaido journey. After producing 24 prints, Eisen was replaced by Utagawa Hiroshige, who completed the series of 70 prints in 1838.

In the far east of France, close to the German and Swiss borders, lies the historic city of Mulhouse. During the early 19th century, it became one of the leading centres of textile manufacture in the country. Today it is home to the Musée de l’Impression sur Étoffes, a museum dedicated entirely to the history of fabric printing from the 17th century right up to the present day. Few are the serious fashion designers who have not come to visit this astonishing temple to textiles. This book, however, gives you the key to those vaults, presenting on its broad pages perfectly captured images of its collections that span four different continents – recounting a fascinating artistic and technological adventure across the world, from its origins in India to the most contemporary creations.