Spanish artists Anna Devís and Daniel Rueda have captured the world’s imagination using various props and backdrops for their meticulously posed photographs. Now you can enjoy browsing some of their favourite shots in their highly-anticipated new book, Happytecture.

Trained as architects, the Valencia-based duo have built a considerable following on their respective Instagram accounts, where there seem to be no limits to their imagination. In many cases, they seek out the world’s quirkiest and most interesting buildings along with some more mundane architectural features and love to add a playful twist – perhaps standing in front of a beige-coloured building with two large windows and holding up a flared skirt to suggest a smiling facade, or holding up an entire building with one arm without breaking a sweat. In other carefully composed works, they might choose props like different types of hats to create unexpected images that delight and surprise.

But until now, Devís and Rueda have only shared their creations via social media and their website. Now you can enjoy some of their favourite artworks in a new book courtesy of Counter Print. Titled Happytecture, it’s bursting with creativity, humour and the delicate precision that has helped them secure many fans as well as notable clients such as Netflix, Disney, Facebook, Adobe and Pantone, among others. Their work has also graced advertising campaigns, festival posters, and book covers. And it has been featured in renowned publications such as The Guardian, The New York Times Style, Marie Claire, Glamour and El País newspaper.

Divided into three sections, the new book gives readers an insight into their artistic practice, starting with Curiocities, where you’ll see how the creative duo make good use of everyday street elements, such as doors, windows, and urban vernacular, to offer a different perspective on the world around us.

Next is Pink-a-boo!, highlighting their series on La Muralla Roja, the postmodern apartment complex in Calpe designed by Ricardo Bofill. Here, we see a game of hide-and-seek as we follow Anna around the building’s distinctive architecture.

In the book’s final section, What The Hat, the background becomes secondary, despite still being crucial to the story, and the hat enjoys the limelight – transforming from a mere fashion accessory into everything from a tiny flower to an entire solar system.

Readers will also be delighted to discover the book’s conclusion, Behind The Camera, where Devís and Rueda share more of their work process, giving insight into the inspiration behind their captivating compositions and the techniques they employ to bring their vision to life.

In an interview with Colosaal, Devís said: “We carefully set the stage in real life using all sorts of everyday objects, colourful papers, matching outfits, and tons of natural light. At first glance, one would probably think that most of our images are not very difficult to capture because of their modest appearance. But, with the passing years, we’ve learned that achieving this level of simplicity is really, really complicated.”

Happytecture’s 168 pages of colourful images certainly pay tribute to the duo’s unexpected work, each revealing their creativity, playfulness, and love of composition throughout.

To grab yourself a copy, you can find Happytecture available for purchase at leading bookstores, galleries and online retailers, including the publisher Counter Print and
directly through the photographers’ site at annandaniel.com.

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