The installation Cuerda Peluda is the result of a period of reflection and research into the history of ropes and their use in aquatic spaces. The work is made of natural esparto fibers, bought in Madrid, and further processed into rope in the Textiellab in Tilburg. Although esparto has a typical scent and material presence reminiscent of the countryside, before the introduction of hemp, sisal and jute from colonized territories in Europe, esparto ropes were used primarily to move cargo from ship to shore. In a way, the material mediated between dry and wet both literally and metaphorically. Cuerda Peluda is the Spanish term for “Hairy Rope”, a title that refers to the “hairs” that emerge from esparto ropes through use. Although this process weakens the rope, it allows algae and small molluscs to grow between the rope fibres when it is submerged in salt water.