Villages of West Africa
Subtitle: an intimate journey across time
By: Steven & Cathi House ; foreword by James Warfield
Contributors: House, Cathi, 1953- author, photographer; Warfield, James P., writer of foreword
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 304
ISBN-13: 9780764354816
Subjects: Villages; Vernacular architecture; Pictorial works; Description and travel
Description: "Art and especially architecture are often seen as the exclusive realm of formally trained experts. Award-winning architects Steven and Cathi House explore the other side of that reality in a part of the world that has been at the crossroads of history for thousands of years. With more than 500 photographs and insightful commentary, they reveal the remarkable beauty of the people, land, villages, textiles, and vernacular architecture across seven countries of West Africa, situated between the Sahara Desert and Atlantic Ocean. The book celebrates the artisanship of tribal people who use building methods that are both practical and ingenious and that respond not just to local climate, materials, and topography, but also to the needs of the inhabitants with poetic insight, creating environments that are stimulating and sustainable. With their clarity, function, and beauty, these villages are living models of what community life can be."--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-304).