Rio Fashion Week transcends the runways to occupy urban spaces with sensitivity. Among the warehouses of Píer Mauá, the installation “Now” (Agora), by Rio-based visual artist Pedro Luís, emerges as a point of pause and contemplation. Part of the Sesc RJ programming, this dome-shaped work features an embroidered visual poem that interacts with the light and architecture of the pier, projecting its patterns onto the Rio landscape.
Part of the series “Between Us and Between Lines,” the work is an invitation to reflect on the flow of time and the silent processes of transformation in both nature and humans. For Pedro Luís, the city has become the ultimate canvas: the meticulous gesture of embroidery takes on a monumental scale, creating a new layer on the Rio horizon and transforming concrete into a surface of memory and affection.
The Language of the Stitch and the Pixel
Trained at PUC-Rio and the Panamericana School of Art and Design, Pedro Luís has built his career through textile art. His research resignifies discarded materials and photographs through embroidered phrases, merging image and text into an intimate narrative. Interestingly, the artist also dialogues with the technological era by transposing cross-stitch onto murals and digital projects, establishing a direct aesthetic connection with pixel art.
At Rio Fashion Week, this ancient technique gains freshness by interacting with the ephemerality of fashion. By using embroidery as a central language, Pedro Luís doesn’t just decorate the space; he proposes a questioning of the threads that weave our cultural and urban identity.
Fashion and Sustainability at Sesc RJ
The “Now” installation is the artistic axis of a broader Sesc RJ takeover at the event. Aligned with the pillars of sustainability and productive inclusion, the institution promotes accessory customization workshops using repurposed materials, bringing the public closer to the practice of upcycling.
While Senac RJ focuses on professional training and technical innovation, Sesc RJ humanizes the fashion environment with sensory experiences. The participation is rounded out by the Bistrô Sesc, which showcases flavors from the state’s units, proving that culture, art, and gastronomy are the essential fibers supporting Rio’s return to the major fashion week calendar.
