6 minute read
Cyprus Unseen
CYPRUS HAS AN ABUNDANCE OF LESS-FAMILIAR NATURAL SPLENDOURS. CAPTURED IN HIS REMARKABLE COLLECTION, ‘ASPELIA NATURALIS’, LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER SILVIO RUSMIGO UNVEILS THE ISLAND’S NATURAL BEAUTY, RIPE FOR DISCOVERY IN THE ERA OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM.
You would be forgiven if, for a micro-second, you thought you were looking at a landscape from centuries ago. The lush river banks; the waters mid-flow; the Venetian bridge, absent of modernity. Yet focus more closely, and you’d discover what you were actually looking at was presentday Cyprus: untouched, pristine, mysterious, stunning. The image, captured by awarded local photographer, Silvio Rusmigo, can be found in his new book of fine art landscape photography, Aspelia Naturalis, ‘Aspelia’ being the island’s ancient Latin name. The fruit of 15 years documenting Cyprus’ extraordinary natural sights – in particular those that might otherwise be dismissed as too ‘ordinary’ or mundane.
Other memorable photographs from the book include a snowscape of pine trees, arranged like white sentinels; the Japanese accents of a cedar tree’s sprawling branches; the monochrome long exposure of an imposing rock formation as snow begins to fall… Could this really be Cyprus? The visuals from Silvio’s lens provide a resounding ‘yes’. In fact, spend enough time with his sumptuous photos, and the majesty of an unfamiliar Cyprus that has always existed - from its antiquities, its villages, forests, fields and valleys, to its volcanic legacy - begins to call you. It certainly called Silvio, who brought his background in interior design, photojournalism and commercial photography, as well as his love of nature, to unveil a dimension of the island
“Cyprus is such a small place, every 20 minutes you're in a different landscape,” he points out. “There's pockets. You're walking or you're driving and suddenly… you turn, and there's this thing that you didn't expect to see. In bigger places in the world, there's a certain monotony in the size and the landscape. Here, you won't find that.” Yet Silvio is also all too aware this is a dimension of the island that’s increasingly under threat, given climate change and urban development. As with the rest of the region, and worldwide, Cyprus has not been spared from experiencing longer stretches of roasting days, water shortages, forest fires and destruction to its ecosystems. From this perspective, given that tourism accounts for approximately 20% of the Republic’s economy, there has been a turn towards sustainable tourism, which, according to the UN, is one that “takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”.
In the Cyprus context, this translates into, for example, experiencing the island’s culinary culture and food production more directly, seeking closer interactions with rural communities and, yes, exploring local nature and ecosystems in a respectful, unscripted way. Unscripted is certainly the way Silvio, himself, prefers to approach his noncommissioned photography. “What I try to do is capture or create images that describe how I feel about certain places, and what I find fascinating about that specific place,” he says. "Why do you need to plan the landscape? It's always there, it's always constant. It's always beautiful.” He works closely with scientists and environmentalists, as well as
Capturing Nature
Awarded local photographer Silvio Rusmigo has spent the past 15 years documenting Cyprus' extraordinary and diverse landscapes
CHANGING VISTAS: Images from 'Aspelia Naturalis' visually preserve the island's landscapes that are being impacted by climate change with the Cyprus Department of Antiquities and Getty Conservation Institute, to help document the island’s sights that are either becoming inaccessible or dramatically changing – whether through preservation processes, or new constructions’ toll.
Preservation And Reverence
For example, “right now, you can't take this image - it's gone”, says Silvio of a dramatic photo of a mosaic in Cyprus' Kato Paphos area, featured in Aspelia Naturalis. “The reason is because now they’ve put these cameras that have these lights, and they turn on when the lights are dim or at night. And very soon, there's going to be a cover built on top – which is a good thing – but this image won't exist there.”
Other lesser-known areas, in particular points of biodiversity, are yielding to roads and commercial development, which makes a compelling argument for both visitors and locals to explore this unfamiliar Cyprus in a reverent way. Yet while some places have been lost, others have shown remarkable resilience. In collaboration with conservationists, Silvio has captured habitats that were once distressed, but are now thriving. Places like Oroklini Lake in Larnaca district, one of Cyprus' seven natural wetlands, and now a designated Special Protected Area. “It was a huge project to restore Oroklini Lake to its original condition,” he recalls. “Now, there’s a viewpoint from which we can see beautiful birds. It’s also an attraction for schools, a place the community can be proud of, and a location where birders from abroad can visit.”
Silvio’s visuals also make the case for knowing the worth of “ordinary” Cyprus sights. “We see them as just fields,” he says, referring to one of his richly-textured shots of the countryside. “And it's really important to me to try and show that these are beautiful. Because... this is where you get your food from, you know?” Not to mention, he adds, these are the same landscapes for which people take expensive holidays to better-known destinations like Tuscany to appreciate.
Authentic Experiences
The truth is, Cyprus has an embarrassment of such riches, hidden in plain sight. In the spirit of eco-tourism, you could, for example, try your hand at beekeeping at Vavla village in Larnaca district. View green turtles at Paphos’ Lara Bay conservation station. Immerse yourself in the 5,500-year-old history of wine production at Erimi village in Limassol district. The possibilities are endless, and they lie off the limits of the conventional tourist brochure.
As for Silvio, he has a new collection of photographs in the pipeline, set to come out in 2027, this time covering the 10,000-hectare protected area of the Paphos Forest in Cyprus’ Troodos mountains. The largest forest of its kind at Europe’s southeastern-most point, it teems with flora, fauna and historic structures to entice those who, like him, seek un-curated adventures, to connect with the island’s less-familiar locales and play their part to preserve them. Fortunately, it’s a task easily accomplished. “Cyprus is small,” reminds Silvio. “Rent a car for a day, take a bus, meet the locals, walk around. Just go and discover things.”
