A Global Art Project
Coser la Tierra (Sewing the Earth) is a global art project that explores the relationship between humanity and the planet through the symbolic act of sewing. Using the needle as a metaphor for connection, healing, and transformation, the project traces a path along the 40th parallel, uniting diverse cultures and landscapes. Through large-scale installations, performances, and workshops, Coser la Tierra invites us to reflect on how we can mend the fractures—both physical and emotional—between ourselves, one another, and the Earth.
The origin: Nuria Román & Latitud 40º
The concept of Sewing the Earth · Latitude 40° reflects the artistic journey of Nuria Román since her arrival in Menorca in 1997. After several years living in Los Angeles, she found in this Mediterranean island the ideal place for her narrative and to develop a practice rooted in material, territory, and their interaction with the environment, reaffirming her commitment to nature, society, and the ethical dimension of art.
These experiences marked the beginning of a process of artistic exploration and experimentation that led her across diverse disciplines and away from conventional circuits, situating her work within the field of contextual and collective art.
Her practice conceives art as a tool for encounter, reflection, and transformation, where the needle—a symbol of repair and dialogue—becomes a metaphor for connection between landscapes, communities, and shared memories.
https://nuriaroman.com
The Origins, Menorca, Spain
Coser la Tierra began in Menorca, a land shaped by the passage of civilizations, where history and nature coexist in harmony. Its Talayotic settlements and the legend of Talatí de Dalt reflect the deep connection between humanity and the earth.
As a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Menorca stands as a model of environmental and cultural preservation. Its spirit of respect and coexistence makes it the ideal place to launch this project, which seeks to unite, heal, and reconnect through the symbolic act of sewing.
The Needle, A Tool of Survival and Symbolism
The needle has been an essential instrument of human ingenuity since prehistoric times—an extension of the hand that transformed necessity into art.
First carved from bone or ivory, it enabled the shaping of raw materials into functional forms—shelter, garments for protection, and adornments that expressed identity, beauty and power.
Across millennia and continents, its presence endures: in Mesopotamia and Egypt, where woven textiles marked wealth and trade; in the Americas, where embroidery held sacred meaning; in Africa, where threads carried stories of identity and kinship with the natural world; and along the Silk Road, where fabric, knowledge, and belief intertwined.
More than a tool, the needle is a witness to our collective history. Its silent labor binds the human story—stitch by stitch, thread by thread—joining generations in an unbroken seam of survival, expression, and connection.
The Act:
Sewing
Sewing has played a vital role in cultural exchange, social traditions, and identity formation. What we wear reflects who we are, and sewing does more than stitch fabrics—it weaves stories, creativity, and communities together.
An ancient practice, sewing transforms materials, sparks imagination, and preserves memory. Throughout history, it has been a source of empowerment for women, offering both a livelihood and a silent yet powerful form of comunication. Across cultures, sewing has served as a language of knowledge transmission, where skills, traditions, and emotions are interwoven into every thread.
Beyond its practical function, sewing embodies patience, resilience, and transformation. A single thread may be fragile, but when woven together with others, it gains strength—just like human connections, which grow stronger and endure when intertwined.
Mending What Is Broken
Humanity has scarred the Earth through wars, borders, and exploitation. Each fracture marks a moment when division triumphed over unity.
Yet, just as we have torn it apart, we also have the power to mend it. Healing the planet means restoring soils, revitalizing ecosystems, and rebuilding harmony between humans and nature.
The thread: Latitude 40°
A Global Path of Connection
Tracing the 40th parallel, this project follows an invisible line encircling the planet—a path of unity that weaves together diverse cultures, histories, and landscapes.
Beginning in Menorca, it extends through Italy, Greece, Anatolia, Samarkand, Beijing, Korea, Japan, California, Utah, New York, Portugal, and Madrid before returning to Menorca.
Along this shared latitude, East and West meet once more, and the thread becomes both map and metaphor—a reminder that beneath our borders and distances lies a common fabric, stitched by geography and sustained through human connection.
Upcoming
Through site-specific interventions, Sewing the Earth continues its journey across diverse landscapes, exploring the connections between nature, memory, and human presence. Each action reflects on the balance between past and future, tradition and transformation, using symbolic materials from each location to weave a dialogue between history and the present.
Note:
The images in this upcoming section are digital visualizations intended for illustrative purposes only.
Final installations will be created in collaboration with local artists, artisans, and makers in each location.
New York, USA 2026/27
Nuria Román's residency in the Catskill marks a new phase of Sewing the Earth, Latitude 40º, exploring environmental fragility and our connection to nature through sculptural experiments with local materials like wood, clay, and ice. Incorporating wood from former Manhattan trees, the project establishes a symbolic link between the city's original landscape and its urban evolution, while a sculpture using Catskill wood recalls the historic transport of logs to build New York City.
Wooden Needle, the centerpiece of this phase, embodies connection, healing, and renewal, developed in collaboration with local artists and professionals. The work will culminate in a public presentation that deepens its cultural and environmental impact. Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, this installation underscores the ongoing need to mend, rebuild, and unite.
Akita, Japan 2027
In Akita, a series of bamboo needles of varying sizes will rise in an organic pattern, symbolizing the human condition within a physical body that requires care and balance. These needles represent the connection between knowledge, tradition, and culture as essential elements of well-being.
In Japan, the health of the body and mind has always been a fundamental pillar of education and tradition. The choice of bamboo is no coincidence: this natural material, both strong and flexible, embodies the harmony between resilience and adaptability, emphasizing the importance of caring for and honoring our body as a temple.
Each needle will serve as a reminder of Japan’s ancestral wisdom: the care of oneself as an act of respect and continuity, where tradition and modernity converge in the pursuit of harmony.
Beijing, China 2026
A temporary installation is proposed in one of Beijing’s art centers: a needle-shaped sculpture created in collaboration with local artists and artisans. The work reflects on the immense cultural value of porcelain in China’s history—a material whose secret was coveted by the West for centuries.
More than just an object, the needle symbolizes the interwoven relationships between civilizations, shaped by exchange, competition, and shifting power dynamics over time. Through this intervention, the project aims to create a space for dialogue that transcends historical divisions, inviting us to rethink our connections as humanity in a constantly evolving world.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan 2028
Along the ancient route of the Silk Road, near Samarkand, Uzbekistan, a monumental sculpture stands tall: a metal needle threaded with a vibrant fiber. This symbolic gesture marks the path that once gave rise to trade between East and West—a journey that has fostered both wealth and knowledge, yet also conflicts and divisions.
"Stitching the Earth" is a call for reflection. Just as the needle pierces through space to bring together scattered materials, we turn our gaze toward the need to mend the fractures of the past. More than a testament to trade and connection, this piece is an invitation to reconciliation, dialogue, and the weaving of a future built on respect, understanding, and balance.
Ani, Turkey 2027/28
This stone monument stands in the heart of the ruins of the ancient city of Ani, a historic settlement in the Anatolia region. The city, whose roots date back to the Hellenistic and Roman periods, was an important center of trade and culture, strategically located along key trade routes.
Excavations in the area have uncovered ceramics, inscriptions, and building remains indicating the presence of various civilizations, from the Hittites to the Byzantine Empire. The needle, with its imposing presence, remains an archaeological enigma, inviting visitors to imagine the grandeur of the city of Ani at its peak.
Salónica, Greece 2026
Part of the Latitude 40° Earth Project, this intervention in the marble mountains near Thessaloniki emerges as a needle of light and stone, linking the material that once shaped temples and democracies with today’s search for balance and renewal.
The installation transforms the ancient quarries into a landscape of reflection, where the traces of extraction become luminous paths —a gesture of reconciliation between humanity and the Earth.
Through light, matter, and silence, the work invites us to rediscover the dialogue between nature, memory, and creation, echoing the enduring spirit of Greek harmony and wisdom.
Naples, Italy 2026
Naples becomes a space to reflect on the North–South fracture, understood not as opposition but as a dialogue of values and differences that complement and enrich one another. The proposal invites us to rethink perspectives and to imagine a future where diversity becomes a source of balance, strength, and shared peace.
The project takes shape in a sculpture that unites Carrara marble (North) and volcanic stone from Vesuvius (South), reversing habitual dynamics and symbolizing that true strength arises from mutual acceptance. The work thus becomes a poetic gesture of reconciliation and peace, a universal metaphor of balance and unity in diversity.
Menorca, Spain 2029
The Needle of the Giantess is a sculptural project in development, proposing the creation of a monumental structure carved from piedra de marés, the native stone that has shaped Menorca’s landscape since ancient times. Its vertical form will reference Menorcan legends and the megalithic traditions of the Mediterranean, establishing a connection between land, sea, and sky.
The installation aims to integrate the sculpture within a site where geology, history, and culture intersect, engaging in dialogue with the island’s Talayotic heritage and identity. Conceived as a meeting point between nature and heritage, The Needle of the Giantess reflects on the concept of cultural landscape and human habitat, encouraging an approach to the territory based on coexistence and respect.
The project is being developed in collaboration with the Líthica Foundation, with the goal of linking Menorca’s material heritage with a contemporary perspective on art and the memory of the landscape.