Chilean Red Cross: Earthquake

The purpose of the Restoring Family Links Program of the Chilean Red Cross is to find the whereabouts of missing people, restoring contact among relatives who have been separated as a result of a disaster or catastrophe. A program that is totally unknown in Chile, a country with over 7,000 seismic events a year. For this reason, and inspired in a legend that there is a red thread connecting people who are destined to find each other, we created two hand-embroidered works representing two of the biggest natural disasters in our country’s history: the 2010 earthquake and the 2015 tsunami. We use them to tell the story of two families who were reunited thanks to the program, letting Chileans know that our service can be fundamental at times of emergency like these. A work that is thanks to talent of visual artist María Lavanchy, who only used red and black thread embroidered on watercolor paper to make it. A work that today allows us to raise the visibility to a program that is a vital assistance for all Chileans.