• Carlos creates embroidery pieces using the endangered barafunda technique
• He is building a visual archive of his craft for future artisans
• His aim is to bring barafunda into contemporary installations and exhibitions

Through his craft, Carlos Vinicius is preserving the future of barafunda, an intricate and symbolic embroidery technique rooted in African lineage. Long practised in Candomblé communities, which are centres of Afro-Brazilian faith and culture, barafunda holds a vital place in ceremonial dress. Unlike freehand embroidery, it follows a set of over 30 distinct stitches. “It is a delicate technique that requires patience, precision and practice,” says Carlos. He combines different stitches to create distinctive, mosaic-like designs. Carlos shares this ancestral knowledge by teaching the technique to others. “What moves me is sharing. I want barafunda to stay alive in the hands of other Black artisans who see manual craft as a form of memory and affirmation,” he says.