Libera revisits the concept of herbarium in a more personal way by telling the life of a woman named Liberatina, through the collection and the cataloguing of the plants grown in her garden between March and April 2022.
The project led to the design of an exposed smyth-sewn book covered with a folded poster that visually translates the location of the plants in the garden into a grid.
The book opens with an interview with Liberatina who tells her story and her passion about cherishing and nurturing life. Her plants also become the main ingredients of the meals that she cooks for her family. The interview is supported by pictures of her past and present.
The main section of the book focuses on the photograms made in the darkroom and on the pictures of Liberatina’s plants and tools in their natural space. The photograms represent the garden’s crops in their stages of growth, ripeness and decay.
The book ends with a facsimile of Liberatina’s recipe book and a biographical apparatus to better understand the interview.
Designed during the course Laboratorio Fotografico held by studio òbelo at CFP Bauer.
Printed on Mohawk Superfine Eggshell Ultrawhite 105 g/m² and Sappi Raw 115 g/m²
Typography set throughout in Manrope by Michael Sharanda