Book Recommendations
In “Japanese Garden Art – Borrowed Scenarios,” Rahel Hartmann Schweizer shows how Swiss landscape architects interpreted the essence of Japanese gardens and incorporated elements such as Zen, shakkei, and wabi-sabi into their work.
In her book, Rahel Hartmann Schweizer explores the influence of Japanese garden art on Swiss landscape architecture. Japanese gardens represent a condensed form of nature, in which the entire world is reflected in a single dewdrop—a central theme in Japanese philosophy.
Drawing on the work of ten Swiss landscape architecture firms, the author shows how these principles have been creatively adapted—whether by recreating Japanese rock gardens or translating alpine landscapes into minimalist forms. She also draws parallels with the reception of Chinese influences in Japan and places this development in the broader context of the West’s fascination with Japan.