Hyperbolic crochet coral reef. The Institute For Figuring is crocheting a coral reef: a woolly celebration of the intersection of higher geometry and feminine handicraft, and a testimony to the disappearing wonders of the marine world. Designed and curated by IFF co-directors: Christine and Margaret Wertheim.
One of the acknowledged wonders of the natural world, the Great Barrier Reef stretches along the coast of Queensland like a psychadelic serpent, a riotous profusion of color and form unparalleled on our planet. But global warming and agricultural pollutants so threaten this fragile monster that scientists now believe the reef will be dead in 30 years. As a homage to the Great One, the Wertheims - who grew up in Queensland - have instigated a project to crochet a woolen reef. Using the techniques of hyperbolic crochet discovered by mathematician Daina Taimina, the Institute has been evolving a wide taxonomy of reef-life forms - loopy "kelps", fringed "anemones", and curlicued "corals." Though the process that brings these models into being is algorithmic, endless permutations of the underlying formulae result in a constantly surprising panoply of shapes. The quality of yarn, style of stitch and tightness of the crochet all affect the finished model so that each is as individual as a living organism. The reef is made up of various sub-reefs, each with its own colors and styling and each evoking a particular strata of marine life: the kelp section (green/grey), coral section (orange), and anemone section (blue/black). Like its biological counterparts, the crochet reef grows slowly: each piece is hand-made and individually thought out. more... http://www.theiff.org/reef/index.html _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
