Saturday stuff: Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

Recently I found out about a unique and fascinating project called the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, currently on display at the Art Center College for Design in Pasadena, California, but originating at Institute for Figuring in Los Angeles. The Institute was founded by sisters Margaret and Christine Wertheim, who began the coral reef project in their L.A. living room in 2005. Hailing from Australia, they wanted to produce something to pay homage to their motherland's Great Barrier Reef and also to draw attention to the ecological struggle faced by reefs worldwide.

(Part of the hyperbolic reef, features starfish, anemones, and corals, among other things. Photograph taken by the Institute for Figuring.)

On their website for the project, the describe the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef as "a woolly celebration of the intersection of higher geometry and feminine handicraft, and a testimony to the disappearing wonders of the marine world." The exhibit has traveled around the world, but if it isn't coming to a venue near you, you can take a tour of the show online. Also, the Wertheims encourage needleworkers to begin their own satellite reefs; their website provides information on coordinating with the larger effort and techniques for producing your own hyperbolic yarn creatures.

If you are interested in finding out more about the reef, check out some of these many resources:

1. The main Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef website
2. Video of Margaret Wertheim discussing the reef project at the TED conference
3. A blog about the reef and the attention it has been getting in the press
4. Facebook site for The Institute for Figuring
5. Information on satellite reefs that may be closer to you than the original
6. A field guide featuring the creatures that can be made using hyperbolic crochet techniques