Mária from Liptovská Teplička wears her traditional costume daily. Also, she embroiders, sings and writes her own folk songs. (source: Courtesy of T. K.)
“It was unacceptable for neighbours in a settlement to have two identical types of embroidery. Each had to be different,” reads the cover of a purple book, weighing four kilograms.
It is indeed an unusual book. You cannot turn the pages as it is not bound. Instead, every single page, full of illustrations, colours and riveting stories, can be removed from their box.
Two years ago, graphic designer Tomáš Kompaník set out on a journey around Slovakia to research the book, visiting a hundred villages and persuading locals to open up their large wooden chests and show him traditional costumes with rare and rich embroidery.
