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IFF Directors Talks

IFF Directors Talks 2012
IFF Directors Talks 2011
IFF Directors Talks 2010
IFF Directors Talks 2009

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Previous IFF Lectures

THE MOSELY SNOWFLAKE SPONGE
Exhibition Opening and Fractal Unveiling
Doheny Library, University of Southern California
Thursday, September 20, 2012 @ 57pm

THE ART OF ITERATION
A Lecture by Ryan and Trevor Oakes
Sat. September 22, 2012 @ 68pm

MAKING SPACE
Theoretical and Practical Explorations of Space

@ Hayward Gallery, London
June 12–14, 2012

IFF Director Margaret Wertheim speaks at Art Center College of Design
June 22, 2011 @ 7pm
With Dr. Jerry Schubel, President and CEO, Aquarium of the Pacific

Captain Charles Moore Talks About Plastic Trash
[IFF-L22] Saturday Jan 17, 2009

IFF Director Margaret Wertheim
Neuroscience Discussions at the LA Public Library

[IFF-L21] October 2 + November 10, 2008

Seeing Anew [IFF-L20]
A lecture by Trevor and Ryan Oakes
at Machine Project Sunday, June 24 @ 7pm

The Logic Alphabet of Shea Zelleweger[IFF-L19]
A discussion with the IFF and Dr. Shea Zelleweger
at Foshay Masonic Lodge Saturday, March 3 @ 5pm

Structural Considerations of the Business Card Sponge[IFF-L17]
By Dr. Jeannine Mosely
Sunday, September 10 @ 8pm

The Insect Trilogy
@ Telic Arts Exchange
How Flies Fly [IFF-L14]
By Dr Michael Dickinson
The Ecology of a Termite's Gut [IFF-L15]
By Dr Jared Leadbetter
What is it Like to be a Spider? [IFF-L16]
By Dr Simon Pollard

Where the Wild Things Are 2:
A Talk About Knot Theory
[IFF-L13]
By Ken Millett
at The Drawing Center in NY.

Where the Wild Things Are 2
by Ken Millett
at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Things That Think:
A hands-on history of physical computation devices.

by Nick Gessler [IFF-L12]

Where the Wild Things Are:
A Talk about Knot Theory

by Ken Millett [IFF-L11]
at The Foshay Masonic Lodge (Culver City)

Crocheting the Hyperbolic Plane:
A conversation on non-euclidean geometry and feminine handicraft

by Dr. Daina Taimina and IFF Director Margaret Wertheim [IFF-L10]

Darwinism on a Desktop:
Sodaplay and the Evolution of a Digital World

by Ed Burton [IFF-L9]

The Logic Alphabet
by Christine Wertheim [IFF-L8]

Why Things Don't Fall Down
A Talk About Tensegrities
by Robert Connelly [IFF-L7]

Kindergarten:
The Art and Science of Child’s Play

By Norman Brosterman [IFF-L6]

Crocheting the Hyperbolic Plane [IFF-L5]
A Talk by David Henderson and Daina Taimina

The Mathematics of Paper Folding [IFF-L4]
by Robert Lang

The Physics of Snowflakes [IFF-L3]
by Kenneth Libbrecht

Crocheting the Hyperbolic Plane [IFF-L2]
by Daina Taimina and David Henderson

The Figure That Stands Behind Figures:
Mosaics Of The Mind
[IFF-L1]
by Robert Kaplan

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Previous Events

Crochet Hyperbolic Workshop
Proteus Gowanus gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Hyperbolic Crochet Workshop:
a celebration of feminine handicraft and higher geometry and a homage to the disappearing wonder of coral reefs.

at The Institute For Figuring – Special Collections

KnitOne-PurlOne:
A workshop on crocheting the hyperbolic plane.
at the Velaslavasay Panorama in Los Angeles.

KnitOne-PurlOne
How to Crochet a Hyperbolic Plane

Saturday April 2, 2005 @ 3-5pm
Velaslavasay Panorama
1122 West 24th Street   Los Angeles, CA   (213) 746-2166

 

The Velaslavasay Panorama and the Institute For Figuring invite you to the inaugural gathering of KnitOne-PurlOne, a sort-of-monthly, hands-on convocation about knitting, crochet, tatting, lace making, tapestry, sewing, embroidery, felt making, and other delicate handicrafts.

In this, our first get-together, IFF director Margaret Wertheim will lead a workshop on crocheting the hyperbolic plane, based on the discoveries of Cornell University mathematician Daina Taimina. After 150 years of mathematical wrestling with hyperbolic space, Dr. Taimina finally figured out how to make a workable physical model of this infamous non-Euclidean structure, using the techniques of crochet.

Bring your hook and yarn, and start your own hyperbolic space. Beginners are welcome - the workshop will include instruction in crochet basics.

Also, all are invited to bring your own handicraft projects in progress to work on during our gathering.

Street parking is available and there are some spots in the lot behind the Velaslavasay Panorama (the mint green Union Theatre building), which is only accessible from 25th Street off of Hoover.

We recommend that attendees bring a size C or D crochet hook. For a good stiff model choose a relatively thick, tightly wound woolen yarn (“Zara” is an excellent choice and may be obtained at the Knitters Studio on Third Street.) Cotton yarns are not recommended, but cheap synthetics will yield the most structurally perky models.

See also:

PRESS - Hyperbolic Models on NPR's All Things Considered!

Interview with David Henderson and Daina Taimina

A gallery of hyperbolic models

Download a pdf* to create a hyperbolic soccer ball

Lecture 02

*pdf download requires Adobe Reader or Apple Preview