As someone who reads (and buys) a lot of gorgeous picture books devoted to art, design and decor, fashion and gardening, it's not often that I would describe a book in those categories as powerful. But that is an apt characterization of "Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa."
Photographer Hans Silvester's images of the Surma and Mursi peoples of East African will come as revelation to most readers. These two groups live in the Omo Valley where the borders of Kenya, Sudan and Eithiopia meet. But more than location, they share an affinity for body painting and adorning themselves with extravagant decorations plucked from the natural world around them.
In his introductory essay, Silvester emphasizes that these peoples "can take any material from the plant world — leaf, stem, flower, grass, root — and instantly transform it into an accessory that has come straight from a fantasy or fairy tale, without the slightest tinge of absurdity." Far from being absurd, these photos will inspire milliners and jewelry designers, textile and set designers. Above all, they will make gardeners look at their plants in a whole new way.
This book is a celebration of nature, talent, beauty and a disappearing way of life. Its images will amaze and astound you and make you wonder how we can sometimes be so blind to what is right in front of us. It is my pick for THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK OF THE YEAR. It's also the perfect purchase to make with the Christmas gift book-card that's burning a hole in your pocket.
I've paired a few of Hans Silvester's images from "Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa" (below) with pictures from my garden that seemed to suggest a natural relationship.
