White Corals

Technique: Textile sculpture – needle work of crochet and knitting
110cm x 100cm x 15cm (approximate); weight: 8kg (approximate)
Wool, polyester, acrylic, polyamide yarns, upcycled metal loops (for the internal structure)

White Corals is part of the ongoing series Coisas da Natureza—a body of work in which the artist translates her personal connection with the natural world into textile form. This particular sculpture is inspired by the fragile beauty of coral reefs and the silent transformation they undergo through bleaching, a process triggered by environmental stressors such as warming oceans, pollution, and disrupted ecosystems.

As an eco-designer and EU Climate Pact Ambassador, her artistic practice is rooted in sustainability, both in concept and in material. Each piece she creates reflects her belief that beauty and awareness must go hand in hand. In White Corals, she chose to use subtle textures and an almost complete absence of color to evoke both the elegance and fragility of marine life under threat. The work is entirely hand-crocheted—44 delicate elements, one for each year of her life when she first began working with this technique, marking the beginning of an intimate artistic journey.

Through her sculptures, she aims to inspire quiet reflection. The pieces are soft, inviting, and familiar—evoking the sea and drawing people in through their tactile appeal. Yet, within their gentleness lies a deeper message: a call to recognize the impact humans have on nature and a reminder that what is beautiful must also be protected.

Her work exists at the intersection of art, ecology, and emotion. It invites viewers to slow down, look closer, and rediscover a sense of wonder—not only through form, but in the stories each thread has to tell.