The idea of Porifera came about while I immersed myself in readings about the ocean. I became more interested in what lies inside the ocean after spending multiple residencies on ships, most memorably, sailing around the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard on a tallship. The structure started with over a dozen spools of rope. Working with long sections of thin rope, I knotted it repeatedly into growing patterns that mimic both human tools and structures of deep sea life. The rope is repeatedly  submerged in a waterbath filled with tiny floating fibers of abaca paper, slowly building a skin that grows taunt and slight translucent once dry. The paper nets are patched together to create the 35 foot long creature that is named Porifera.