Urban Forest: Images of Trees in the Human Landscape (A Sierra Club Books Publicatio) [Hardcover]

David Paul Bayles (Photographer)

Book Description

Series: A Sierra Club Books Publicatio | Publication Date: October 14, 2003

Beyond their esthetic and utilitarian importance, urban trees seem to fill a deeper human need. Perhaps they are reminders of the inexorable cycles of the natural world. Perhaps they serve as eddies and rills of slowness and sureness within the frantic rush of our urban environment.
For more than two decades, photographer David Paul Bayles has been making images of trees in cities and suburbs--places of tension, as he puts it, between "what we build and what we grow." This beautifully designed and produced volume showcases his extraordinary vision of urban trees and their often precarious, sometimes triumphant place in the human landscape.
Initially drawn to his subject by "the balance and harmony and beauty between the manmade structure and the tree," Bayles has also found and photographed plenty of imbalance and human folly along the way. His images are laconic, almost deadpan, yet at the same time infused with irony, humor, and compassion. They avoid the easy trap of politicization, allowing and encouraging each of us to see the relationship between humankind and trees--in all of its complexity--for ourselves.
This much is certain: Those who delve into the pages of this remarkable book will never again look at the trees around them in quite the same way.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"David Bayles's photographs in Urban Forest speak eloquently with a quiet intensity. The book explores the concept that the natural world exists not only in the wilderness, but also in our everyday urban surroundings. These thoughtful photographs cause the viewer to pause and consider the delicate balance between human activity and the natural environment."--John Sexton

"Looking through these photographs provides an intimate experience of beautiful and sensual beings living amongst us who just happen to be trees."--Andy Lipkis, president, TreePeople

"David Bayles's photographs embrace a story that has fascinated Euro-American artists since the beginning of the United States--the transformation of the landscape. With wilderness long since relegated to the gated preserves of National Parks, Bayles reminds us of the continued importance of nature in our twenty-first century, increasingly urbanized lives. With one eye toward the simplicity of linear geometry and the other fascinated by the narrative potential of juxtaposition, Bayles's images compel us to reevaluate the manufactured naturalism of our daily environment."--Glenn Willumson, Director, Graduate Program in Museum Studies, College of Fine Arts, University of Florida

About the Author

David Paul Bayles has photographed the human-tree relationship for more than twenty years. His images have appeared in solo and group exhibitions at galleries and museums throughout the West, and his work is included in numerous public and private collections around the world, including those of the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris; the Helmut Gernsheim Collection in Lugano, Switzerland; and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Bayles' photographs have also been published in such national periodicals as Architectural Record, Architecture, Outdoor Photographer, Photo Metro, and Photographer's Forum. Images from this book were recently featured in the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Bayles makes his home in southern California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Sierra Club Books; 1 edition (October 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578050960
• ISBN-13: 978-1578050963
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 10.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,636,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!!, October 14, 2003

By 

Anna (Belfair, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Urban Forest: Images of Trees in the Human Landscape (A Sierra Club Books Publicatio) (Hardcover)

This book is absolutely wonderful...David is a photographic genius. I am ordering several for family & friends as gifts.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IT WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE, November 7, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Urban Forest: Images of Trees in the Human Landscape (A Sierra Club Books Publicatio) (Hardcover)

What could be more mundane--trees in the city? But, take a second (and third...) look at Bayles's work and it will change the way you SEE the urban experience. This is truly great photography--it refreshes our viewpoint, presents the average as exceptional, recasts reality in new forms. Sierra Club has done a brave book--as revolutionary as their titles in the early 60s. Bravo!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Facinating book!, April 4, 2005

By 

churchfan (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Urban Forest: Images of Trees in the Human Landscape (A Sierra Club Books Publicatio) (Hardcover)

Bayles' book is a facinating look through his lens at the interaction between trees and the urban landscape they so frequently inhabit. Many of us take the trees in urban settings around us for granted, but after reading this book it is unlikely to happen again. David shows us the beauty of nature around us in the city. We can still go "out into nature" to find solitude and tranquility, but it is interesting how much is around us if we only learn to see it, not just look at it.

The photographs are technically excellent, and the printing/paper used is beyond reproach. However, there are two minor issues I had with the production. First, there are photographer's notes about each image gathered together at the back of the book. I found myself absorping the image, then flipping to the back to read Bayles' comments. I wish the comments could have been printed opposite the photo to eliminate the flipping. Second, some photos were printed on one sheet of a two-page spread, while others (not seemingly in a series) were printed on both pages. (There were images in a series printed on both pages, but that's not my issue.) I guess I wish there were more consistency in the presentation, either by using only one page except for series of images, or by using both pages. In any case, these are minor issues with a beautiful, thought-provoking book.