Red Corals

Technique: Textile sculpture – needle work of crochet and knitting
60cm (diameter) x 32cm high (approximate); weight: 3kg (approximate)
Wool, polyester, acrylic, polyamide yarns, upcycled polyester padding

Red Corals is a textile sculpture born from reverence—an homage to a silent forest beneath the sea. Inspired by Corallium rubrum, the rare and precious red coral, this work seeks to echo the intricate beauty of marine life without disturbing its fragile existence.
Endemic to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic waters between Portugal and Cape Verde, red coral grows slowly, forming arborescent colonies in the quiet depths between 10 and 200 metres. It can live for over a century—its blood-red branches sculpted by time, tides, and mystery. Once harvested for its vibrant skeleton, used in jewelry for centuries, today it stands on the edge of extinction. Since 2021, its collection, sale, and possession have been forbidden in Portugal, a silent recognition of the damage done.
Yet coral lives on in stories. In Greek mythology, it was born from the blood of Medusa, spilled when Perseus laid her severed head by the sea. The Romans believed coral could protect children and heal venomous wounds. These tales, steeped in awe and wonder, reveal how deeply coral has stirred human imagination.
In Red Corals, I translate these underwater forms into textile—thread becoming structure, softness becoming memory. It is an act of preservation through transformation. With each stitch, I seek to honour the unseen, the endangered, the sacred. We need not extract beauty to know it. Through art, we can feel the ocean’s pulse, and imagine a future where nature’s wonders are preserved, not plundered. A coral that lives, not bleeds.