Vera Menezes, a 46-year-old artisan and trained graphic designer, is giving new life to marine debris found in Porto Santo. Her shop, "The Prophet s Shop", located in Vila Baleira, showcases a variety of pieces crafted from materials collected on the beach, including boats, fish, lamps, necklaces, and bracelets.
Menezes aims to keep island traditions alive, such as the making of palm heart hats, but with a contemporary approach. "The wood we collect on the beach is part of a memory. People [in the old days] collected wood to use in their homes, because there were no trees in Porto Santo, and so they would gather the wood that washed ashore and make a chair or a table," she told Lusa news agency.
The artisan prefers to use the wood in its natural form, adding only "a touch" to enhance its essence. Her shop, which opened in 2018, also features a sculpture made from marine plastics symbolizing Porto Santo's historical "prophet" figure.
