Playful Portraits of People Posing in Topiary Trees

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The photo series Miradors is a lighthearted project filled with many unexpected surprises. Created by French photographer Erwan Fichou, the series documents people popping out of oddly carved trees. The atypical portraits will instantly spark a curiosity about why the trees are shaped so specifically and also why each person is perched so snugly amid the leaves.

The inspiration for the project came when Fichou witnessed a gardener working atop a tree that was shaped like a spaceship. The experience haunted Fichou's memories and he couldn't help but turn that encounter into a reality. So, Fichou worked with city gardeners to develop the topiary sculptures along the streets of Mexico City. He then scheduled portrait sessions with friends and strangers—anyone who was willing to climb up into the trees and casually pose in order to create a visually intriguing and surprising relationship between human and nature.

By using topiaries as his background, Fichou created a bit of a playful enigma within the urban surroundings. The ephemeral form lasted only for a brief time before growing back into its natural shape, yet the photographs remain as evidence of the creative process. Fichou explains, “I like to imagine that someone falls on the images, like an old album or an old book, sees no text, nothing that can provide a point of reference, and the images, without any context, still spark the imagination.”

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Erwan Fichou: Website
via [DesignTAXI]

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