Vanessa Barragão
Making a Material Difference
Portuguese artist Vanessa Barragão addresses the high degree of ocean pollution brought on by the textile industry – and in particular its effects on coral reef ecosystems – in her fabulous fabric creations.
Stressing the need for conscious production methods, Vanessa up-cycles materials from the ‘deadstock’ (excess fabric) from textile factories in northern Portugal to make environmentally friendly, nature-themed art. She revives ancestral handcrafting techniques like latch hooking, hand-tufting, felting and crocheting to send a very modern – and urgent – message. View some of the spectacular results on her website, Facebook and Instagram.

