 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | Alan Fletcher's The Art of Looking Sideways is an absolutely extraordinary and inexhaustible "guide to visual awareness," a virtually indescribable concoction of anecdotes, quotes, images, and bizarre facts that offers a wonderfully twisted vision of the chaos of modern life. Fletcher is a renowned designer and art director, and the joy of The Art of Looking Sideways lies in its beautiful design. Loosely arranged in 72 chapters with titles like "Colour," "Noise," "Chance," "Camouflage," and "Handedness," Fletcher's book, which he describes as "a journey without a destination," is "a collection of shards" that captures the sensory overload of a world that simply contains too much information. In one typical section, entitled "Civilization," the reader encounters six Polish flags designed to represent the world, a photograph of an anthropomorphic handbag, Buzz Aldrin's boot print on the moon, drawings of Stone Age pebbles, a painting of "Ireland--as seen from Wales," and a dizzying array of quotations and snippets of information, including the wise words of Marcus Aurelius, Stephen Jay, and Gandhi's comment, "Western civilization? I think it would be a good idea." Fletcher's mastery of design mixes type, space, fonts, alphabets, color, and layout combined with a "jackdaw" eye for the strange and profound to produce a stunning book that cannot be read, but only experienced. --Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk |
Average Customer Rating:   oh my goodness this is an amazing book! beauty, inspiration, and wisdom on every page. in my top five books list. i've gifted it twice Everyone should own this! I love this book. Every page is a new thought, idea, insight. Great for all. Not just artist types. A true escape of a read and a great coffee table book. I do hate it when they put a thick marker line on the spine b/c it's resold though. Worth ten stars! It seems to be consensus opinion that you cannot READ "Sideways." So what on earth can you DO with it? The answer is: just about anything. The very least that Alan Fletcher's book will do is add sparkle to your dinner conversations. It can even stimulate new and innovative thinking in your business - as it has for me and my husband.
In our household, this book has taken on a persona all of its own. Like the Family Bible of yore, "Sideways" reposes on the sideboard in our dining room, open every day at a randomly selected page. We have included a large magnifying glass. Yes, it's necessary at times for anyone with less than 20/20 vision. (Okay, FAR less.) What is more, "Sideways" must be perused - well, naturally - sideways. Even upside down at times. (Headstands optional.) For those who complained of reading difficulties, I suspect that Alan Fletcher deliberately provided these "hindrances" to force us to stop and THINK. Otherwise we would treat his two-page spreads like billboards that we glance at casually as we speed past.
When anyone in our household passes Alan Fletcher's book there's a sudden, silence. This has prompted me to make the sideboard our "shrine" to creativity. I now see "Spaces for Silence" by Alen MacWeeney and Caro Ness in a completely different way. Spaces for Silence We have added a table easel to our tableau to hold a mini-corkboard to which "sideways" ideas can be added at any time they occur. Our ideas can be expressed as puns, quotes, slogans (the latest being "Campaign for Curiosity!") as well as questions, and even our own, tongue-in-cheek cartoon attempts.
To the cynics (aka the 1 star reviewers) have you ever flown a kite without taking a child as an excuse; have you danced in the rain; licked your plate; worn a balloon hat in public; eaten candy floss after middle age; had a conversation entirely in puns; written a limerick; drawn with your eyes shut; read Dr Seuss after "growing up?" In other words, have you ever set aside your conventional script? If you haven't, maybe you need to cut your teeth on Keri Smith's book: "Destroy this Journal." (Even literally, as you will see.) Wreck This Journal Amazonians have responded creatively to that book, as shown by all the images displayed. Of course, you have the benefit - or should I say "safety" - of Keri's telling you exactly what to do. With "Sideways," Alan Fletcher expects you to improvise, generating your own ideas by using creative initiative. His book is simply the catalyst.
PS And yes, I have done every single thing on that list.
Interesting..... I found this book interesting that it provided me with several ideas and ways to think about a piece of art or a situation. I wasn't really engaged by this title, however, I really enjoyed all of the conversations I had with friends when they paged through this book. The reaction from my friends alone was enough to give this book three stars. |  |
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