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Hyperbolic crochet coral reef - About the Crochet Coral Reef - Crochet Reef Workshops and Lectures
Crochet Reef Exhbitions - Exhibition Schedule
HYPerbolic Crochet basics
OTHER WEB RESOURCES //
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About the Crochet Coral Reef |
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| "Crochet Coral and Anemone Garden" with sea slug by Marianne
Midelburg. Photos by Alyssa Gorelick. |
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| 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 pollutants so threaten this fragile monster that scientists now believe the reef will be devastated in coming years. As a homage to the Great One, IFF co-directors Margaret and Christine Wertheim - who grew up in Queensland - have instigated a project to crochet a woolen reef. Using the techniques of hyperbolic crochet discovered by mathematician Dr. Daina Taimina, the Institute has been evolving a wide taxonomy of reef-life forms - loopy "kelps", fringed "anemones", and curlicued "corals." While 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. As a whole, the Crochet Reef is made up of various different “sub-reefs,” each with its own colors and styling: there is the Red Reef, the Blue Reef, the Bleached Reef, the Branched Anemone Garden, and our largest work, The Ladies’ Silurian Atoll, a ring-shaped installation with close to 1000 individual crochet forms made by dozens of contributors from around the world. In addition to these woolen sub-reefs is the massive Toxic Reef, crocheted from yarn and plastic trash. Crochet Hyperbolic Reef Gallery |
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Large
scale anemone with brain coral head. |
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| Each
model results from the application of an iterative recipe repeated
over and over. Like fractals such as the Mandelbrot Set, these forms
come into being only through the process of doing some “boring”
step again and again and again. Though experience often serves as
a guide, there is no way to know in advance what a specific algorithm
will achieve and we have many times been surprised when seemingly
insignificant changes in the underlying pattern have led to fundamentally
new results. This is, in a very real sense, a kind of experimental
mathematics and we invite crocheters everywhere to join us in exploring
the myriad possibilities inherent in these techniques. For more indepth information, see the Institute's book A Field Guide to Hyperbolic Space. |
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| Orange brain coral with urchins. | ||||
| Getting started on your own hyperbolic models is easy. The basic insight is to understand that these forms result from the simple process of increasing the number of stitches in every row. The more often you increase stitches the faster the model will grow and the more crenellated will be finished form. Models can begin with a simple line, resulting in a hyperbolic plane; or from a single point with the crochet spiraling around to gradually fan out like a cone, resulting in what is known as a pseudosphere. You may also begin from a circle, which will produce a tubular, bell shaped, or trumpeted configuration. Once you start to experiment, the variety is endless. We recommend that beginners read the IFF’s online exhibit on Hyperbolic Space and study the introductory gallery for helpful tips. | ||||
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| Crochet coral and anemone garden. | ||||
| As
you explore, be playful – don’t worry about sticking
too closely to the formal rules, though it’s interesting and
important to understand what the rules do. Try things out for fun.
Experiment with different types of yarn. Try mixing yarns together,
say a thick worsted and a fine mohair. Try varying the rate of increase
in a single model. Consider using string, plastic and wire or anything
else that takes your fancy. Try felting – throw the finished
model in a washing machine with really hot water and let it churn
for half an hour. This only works with pure wool (acrylics and cotton
will not felt) but the results are wild! Finally – send us
photos of your models and we will put them online in our People’s
Hyperbolic Gallery. Get involved We invite crocheters everywhere to contribute models to the reef. This is a collective project and all contributors will be fully acknowledged online and in future exhibitions. If you want to send a model please contact us by . |
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| ©
2005 The Institute for Figuring |
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