Nature, Art and Gardens in Japan from tradition to now

This special interest morning introduces some of Japan’s most famous gardens and provides a wider context for understanding the distinctive features of Japanese garden design that have evolved through the ages. Historical developments and religious and philosophical influences have informed the Japanese approach to the visual arts and have similarly contributed to different styles of gardens in Japan, from the palatial to the intimate. The Japanese love of nature will be illustrated through traditional examples and through the ways in which nature and the changing seasons continue to be celebrated in contemporary life.

Professor Conte-Helm is a long-established Lecturer of The Arts Society with a BA in History of Art and an MA in Asian Art. She has most recently served as Executive Director of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group, as Visiting Professor at Northumbria University, and as a Member of the Board of Governors of the University for the Creative Arts. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She was Director General of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation from 1999-2011 and has held senior academic positions at various UK universities.