Helen Little - Böcker

Educators have a key pedagogical role in promoting early years outdoor play in natural environments. Active outdoor play involving risk-taking has been linked to positive effects on social health and behaviour, and encourages physical activity and motor skill development. At the same time, it has been recognised that opportunities for children to experience outdoor learning have been reduced in recent decades due to the impacts of technology, urbanisation and social change. This book brings together renowned authors, with research and professional experience in a range of disciplines, to provide a comprehensive guide to developing positive and engaging outdoor learning environments in the early years. Part 1 looks at pedagogy and outdoor environments, and considers the value of risk-taking and developing a young child's appreciation of the natural world. Part 2 examines the key principles involved in the design and planning of these spaces, such as applying the relevant equipment standards and regulations. Part 3 explores how educators can develop an understanding of children's own perspectives on outdoor spaces, including promoting agency and recognising the importance of private playspaces. Part 4 examines different cultural perspectives on outdoor play, including Indigenous approaches, while Part 5 considers the range of experiences possible beyond purposefully-designed spaces, from visiting nature reserves to exploring urban environments.'A much needed and comprehensive resource for pre-service teachers and educators of young children that encompasses philosophies, theories, pedagogy and practice for purposeful engagement of children in all kinds of outdoor spaces in Australia.'- Dr Kumara Ward, Director of Academic Program: Early Childhood Education, Western Sydney University'This seminal work will provide a shared language and framework for educators, policy developers, community builders and researchers in exploring the justifications for engaging children in well considered outdoor learning places and spaces.' - Leanne Grogan, School of Education, Outdoor and Environmental Studies, La Trobe University.

Encountering the work of Alan Davie (1920-2014) at Wakefield Art Gallery in 1958, a young David Hockney (b.1937) was struck by Davie's landmark Abstract Expressionist paintings, which mirrored and stimulated his own fledgling experimentation with colourful abstraction. Juxtaposing the remarkable early work of two greats of post-war painting, this book provides an original perspective on an important aspect of two significant artistic careers.A richly illustrated text demonstrates points of convergence — such as the painterly surface, passion and poetry, and an exploration of text within the pictorial frame — while also presenting divergence, moving the discussion beyond comparison to reveal a moment when each artist  expanded the expressive potential of the painted canvas. Seeking to suggest new relationships and continuities between two generations previously segregated, this beautifully produced publication is ambitious in its intention, pushing the boundaries of traditional interpretations of British art history.

Providing a thematic overview of the multifarious work produced by Derek Boshier (1937-2024) from the post-war period to the digital age, this fascinating publication reveals how Boshier’s deceptively playful imagery offers analytical commentaries on societal issues and the fragility and fragmentation of human identity.Among contemporaries such as Peter Blake, Pauline Boty and Peter Phillips, Boshier was a central figure in the British Pop Art movement. Embracing Pop sensibilities, his early work juxtaposed figurative painting and imagery to call attention to nuclear anxieties and the growing consumerism of 1960s Britain. Yet this is just one aspect of Boshier's remarkable artistic journey, which has drawn in painting, drawing, sculpture, film, graphic design and printmaking. The book's broad sweep includes recent paintings and drawings created in America at the height of the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, and features commentaries by artists, academics, curators and writers who explore how Boshier's ground-breaking activity interrogates truth and logic, fantasy and reality in the modern age.With contributions by James Cahill, Philip Colbert, Eddie Chambers, Susan Compo, Rachele Dini, Inga Fraser, Jann Haworth, Leslie Jones, Emily Langridge, Gregory Salter, Penny Slinger and John Stezaker.

A panoramic new perspective on the life and work of one of Britain’s most important artists: David Hockney.David Hockney is Britain’s most important living artist, one who is constantly moving into new terrain and never fails to capture a wide public imagination. This pioneering new publication positions the artist’s seminal work within a wide cultural context, charting Hockney’s journey through the ways he has interrogated the nature of looking and representation from his days as a promising student to his place as one of the greatest artists working today.Featuring contributions by some of the most exciting voices in the worlds of art, design, literature and performance, it offers an essential overview of David Hockney’s career, exploring the depth of his influence, and how his art continues to shape modern culture.Edited by Helen Little, with contributions by Catherine Cusset, Rineke Dijkstra, Frank Gehry, Jann Haworth, Allen Jones, Owen Jones, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, Andrew McMillan, Richard Morphet, David Oxtoby, Eddie Peake, Walter Pfeiffer, Christina Quarles, Bruno Ravella, Ed Ruscha, Gregory Salter, Wayne Sleep, Ali Smith, Christine Strueli and Russell Tovey.