Colossal seahorse, floral tapestry raise awareness at Feria de Flores in Medellin about marine conservation

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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