The Institute For Figuring // Gallery




	Hyperbolic crochet coral reef - About the Crochet Coral Reef - History of the Coral Reef - Crochet Reef and Global Warming - Crochet Reef and Hyperbolic Space - Crochet Reef and Evolution - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch - Plastic Trash and the IFF Midden - Crocheting Plastic and the Toxic Reef - The Bleached Reef - Contributors - Crochet Reef Workshops and Lectures Crochet Reef Exhbitions - Exhibition Schedule - Report On Crochet Reef Showing in Scottsdale, AZ - Crochet Reef Showing in Scottsdale, AZ - Crochet Reef Showing in Los Angeles - Report on Crochet Reef Exhibition in Los Angeles - New York and Chicago Reefs in Staten Island - Plastic Exploding Inevitable Reef in San Francisco - Crochet Reef Showing in London at the Hayward - Report On The Crochet Reef in London - Crochet Reef Symposium at Southbank Center - New York Exhibitions - Now Showing - New York Broadway Windows Photos [IFF-G21] - New York Winter Garden Photos [IFF-G21] - Chicago Cultural Center Exhibition - Chicago Exhibition Main Gallery [IFF-G18] - Chicago Exhibition Toxic Reef Gallery [IFF-G19] - Chicago Exhibition Chicago Reef Gallery [IFF-G20] - The Andy Warhol Museum Exhibition [IFF-G11] - Track 16 Exhibition [IFF-G12] Satellite Reefs - Introduction - The Chicago Reef - The New York Reef - The UK Reef - The Scottsdale Reef - The Sydney Reef - The Latvian Reef - Scarsdale Middle School Reef - The Latvian School Reef Crochet reef contributors - Ernst Haeckel, Patron Saint - Daina Taimina, Inventor of Hyperbolic Crochet - Christine Wertheim, Crochet Reef Co-Creator - Margaret Wertheim, Crochet Reef Co-Creator - Barbara Wertheim, Our Mother - Evelyn Hardin - Sarah Simons - Ildiko Szabo - Kathleen Greco - Dr. Axt's Reefer Madness - Aviva Alter - Sue Von Ohlsen - Nadia Severns - Helle Jorgensen - Inga Hamilton - Helen Bernasconi - Rebecca Peapples - Marianne Midelburg - Eleanor Kent - Anita Bruce - Clare O'Callaghan - Arlene Mintzer - Alicia Escott - Other Crochet Reefs OTHER WEB RESOURCES - Crochet Reef Press Archive - Crochet Reef Bulletins Archive //		THE CROCHET REEF AND HYPERBOLIC SPACE
			The Crochet Reef Project was inspired by the technique of hyperbolic crochet originally developed by Dr Daina Taimina, a mathematician at Cornell. In 1997 Dr Taimina discovered how to make models of the geometry known as "hyperbolic space" using the art of crochet. Until that time many mathematicians believed it was impossible to construct physical models of hyperbolic forms; yet nature had been doing just that for hundreds of millions of years. It turns out that many marine organisms embody hyperbolic geometry in their anatomies - among them kelps, corals, sponges, sea slugs and nudibranchs. Thus the Crochet Reef not only looks like a coral reef, it draws on the same underlying geometry endemic in the oceanic realm.

			A mathematically precise model of a hyperbolic pane by Dr. Diana Taimina.
			There are very good reasons why marine organisms take on hyperbolic forms: this geometry is a marveous way to maximize surface area in a imited volume, thereby providing greater opportunity for filter feeding by stationary organisms. More information about hyperbolic space and the history of the mathematics behind the Crochet Reef Project may be seen here in the IFF's Online Exhibit about Hyperbolic Geometry and the Discovery of Hyperboic Crochet.

			A crochet model that resembles various species of kelp.
			Throughout the organic realm, nature has found ways to utiize hyperbolic forms. Such structures are realized not only in the marine word, but also in cactuses, succulents, and fungi. The double-sided hyperbolic plane seen here is specifcally found in certain kinds of seed pods - the large surface area enables the seed to float on the wind and carry for long distances. Many green leafy vegetables such as lettuces and kales also embody hyperbolic geometry, so you often eat hyperbolic froms for lunch. As a sister project to the Crochet Reef, the Institute For Figuring has been making a cactus garden. Images of the Crochet Cactus Garden may be seen here.