flower, fruit, leaf, husk and root – experiments in growing color is a collaborative book by Naan Rijks and Lucila Kenny that explores the cultivation of dye plants in a communal Amsterdam garden. Since 2011, Rijks has grown and studied these plants to create natural inks and pigments, later joined by Kenny in deepening the ecological and artistic inquiry. The book combines practical knowledge with visual documentation of their process and the colors drawn from nature.
This is a publication whose design is itself borrowed from the themes of resources and locality that it addresses. The cover is the key part of the design: printed with the pigments used in the research. This more artisanal approach gives each object a special preciousness and uniqueness. We have selected this book because it is important to highlight examples of how creative methods are being re-examined, which will become a source of inspiration for future generations of designers.