DOWNTOOLS

Glancing around it is not always obvious to spot a pattern, or indeed understand its significance. However, in his new book The Gardener’s Book of Patterns, author Jack Wallington recalls that a pattern is often ‘the skeleton that underpins everything’ and so ‘in understanding their logic, we can make better sense of the space around us’. With this in mind, Wallington’s book will have you looking at your most familiar surroundings from a completely different perspective.

The book begins with the definition of what constitutes a pattern, exploring its interpretation and the various forms in which it can appear. Here Wallington artfully describes how natural evolution and human mathematics work to influence and create such visual masterpieces. The pages that follow take you on a rich journey that transcends history and location, nature and culture. Numerous examples of patterns are described within the text, ranging from the microscopic organisation of cells in a leaf to the much larger-scale street layout of our cities. Recollections of Egyptian gardens sit alongside minimalist modernism, while exploring the use of colour, texture, repetition and perspective. Throughout, Wallington sympathetically describes the relevance and effects that these patterns have on us as humans, going further to illustrate how we can