Three Amazons

This project explores the possibility of a horizontal and vertical Amazon through a tactile crochet piece. The Amazon is typically seen horizontally in plan, like a vast stitchwork of interconnected ecosystems, floating communities, and complex geomorphology shaped over space and time. However, the Amazon can be reimagined vertically in section, as a three-layered system comprising the Voadores, the Amazon, and the Hamza.

The Voadores – meaning flying in Portuguese – is based on the unique existence of a sky river in the Amazon, where transpiration from the rainforest allows the river basin to create its own climate system. The Hamza, named after a researcher who proposed an underground river parallel to the Amazon, represents a massive slow-moving aquifer beneath the surface. This aquifer absorbs moisture, but also feeds back into the Amazon, sustaining its flow.

The crochet stitches reflect the distinct characteristics and direction of wetness in each layer. The Voadores is based on the “popcorn” clouds of the rainforest, with stitches in multiple directions, representing winds converging at the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The Amazon layer is like a flowing river with mainly horizontal stitches, and the Hamza resembles a soaked sponge with a downward direction. The piece transitions from the static Hamza to the dynamic Voadores, while the Amazon in between is cyclical, mimicking the rising and falling rhythm of the river.