MEDELLÍN, Colombia, July 17,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- An 11-meter seahorse stands on a
floral tapestry made from 180,000 flowers in Medellin, filling the city with a colorful
conservation message. The work of art represents a marine ecosystem
and, simultaneously, shows, as a lead-up to the Feria de Flores,
that life also "flourishes" in the oceans.
The enormous tapestry, which covers the 1,000 square meters of
the main plaza of the Santafé shopping mall with marigolds and
petunias of different colors, was woven by a hundred people with
25,000 plants and a metal structure, decorated with elements that
simulate marine flora and fauna.
The mall's general manager, María Fernanda Bertel, explained to EFE that this year
the theme is centered on the importance of water and marine life.
The aim is to bring awareness to environmental issues to the more
than 2.5 million visitors the initiative hopes to attract. The
spectacular creation, announced as a "unique visual experience," is
on display until September 1.
"Life also flourishes in the sea," said Bertel. She added that
for the 13th edition of the emblematic tapestry, which has become a
tourist attraction in Medellín, they wanted to have "a striking
work of art" and recreate a "magical" marine scene to send a
message about "the impact we have on our planet" and to remind
visitors that "without water, there is no life."
Magical marine world
In addition to the thousands of plants used as a way of
connecting with the essence of the Feria de Flores, a seahorse, a
unique creature in the animal kingdom, was chosen as the main
protagonist.
"Our seahorse measures 11 meters and is suspended at a height of
13 meters as if it were floating. We didn't want to touch the floor
because it has a tail that rolls up. It looks imposing, also
because of the dimensions of the marine plants that accompany it,"
the manager explained.
The fair will be held in Medellin between August
2 and 11 and expects to receive 26,000 international
tourists and more than 22,000 people nationally.
Bertel pointed out that, after studying the marine ecosystem,
they also included a seven-meter 'Millepora Alcicornis', a
3.7-meter coral, a 4.9-meter high Pavona, and a 3.7-meter high
Alveopora.
Solidarity and sustainable tapestry
As in previous editions, the mall will raise funds to benefit
the "Full Tummies" program of the Fundación de Atención a la Niñez,
which helps fight child malnutrition.
This year the public will not have to wait until the exhibition
ends to make their donations. From the first day, a pre-sale will
be in place to secure a piece of the tapestry to take home or
receive a postcard with an image painted by one of the children
from the foundation, a social impact souvenir to help vulnerable
children.
This year, with the exhibition's early start, which will be open
to the public for 48 days, a part of the tapestry will also connect
with the Colombiamoda fair circuit to promote sustainability,
understanding that "the tapestry becomes an important narrative and
we have to send a very strong message of awareness," Bertel
concluded.
For this reason, the objective of the mall is also to stimulate
the circular economy with recycling, composting, and sale
(donation) of plants and the reuse of decorative elements to
minimize the environmental impact.
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