We have just released our latest labour of love, The Tree of Life is Eternally Green by Pascual Martínez + Vincent Sáez – and it’s a beauty!
We like to call it ‘an intimate notebook’ which reflects the actual process of its creation, and the feeling we hope you’ll get as you hold it in your hands and leaf through it.
It was nearly two years ago that we first met Pascual and Vincent, in Arles in 2016, where they showed their book dummy in a Voies Off portfolio review. Their passion was contagious, we agreed to work together, and since then the book has evolved through more than a few versions of sequences and designs.
The final book is the culmination of work the duo made during several explorations around Romania, since 2014. They forged their own path through the country’s landscape, guided by an affinity with the strong connections that Romanians have with nature. Over 6000km were travelled by walking and hitchhiking, by car, bus, and train. Their earthy (and analog) approach to photography results in a celebration of Romanian people and their traditions, the untamed landscape, and the country’s rich flora.
Along their journey Pascual and Vincent collected leaves and flowers growing in places where they photographed, pressing them into their notebooks. These flora appear on transparent pages throughout the book.
When they met landscaper Minerva Luca during their travels, they discovered she created striking botanical drawings and asked her to contribute her artwork, which she was happy to do. Her illustrations of Romanian flowers and leaves feature on the front and back covers, and in 10 pages at the back of the book, reproduced on a luxurious art paper.
In all this unassuming ‘notebook’ is presented on four paper stocks (mostly 100% recycled) with papers mixed throughout the interior. This design feature presented a massive production challenge that required manual assembly (by a human!) and extra care in the finishing of each individual book object. We hope this special labour can be instantly felt when you hold a copy for yourself! X
Illustrations by Minerva Luca
Pascual and Vincent are currently touring around Spain, presenting the book! You can follow their news at ninorojo.com and on Instagram @ninorojoproject