Content provided in partnership with
It figures: coral conservation
Natural History, April, 2008
ART/SCI COLLISION: CROCHETING THE CORAL REEF
TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 7:00 P.M.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
HYPERBOLIC CROCHET: advanced mathematics, handicraft, a little of both? One thing is clear: it's a dazzling art form being used to great effect (see above) in the service of marine ecology, conservation, and artistic collaboration in the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, an ongoing project of the Institute for Figuring in Los Angeles. Christine and Margaret Wertheim, codirectors of the Institute--an educational organization that explores the poetic and aesthetic dimensions of math, science, and technology--have called upon artisans around the world to crochet colorful faux coral reefs to draw attention, as nothing else could, to the plight of these fragile ecosystems endangered by global warming, pollution, side effects of tourism, and more.
- Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »
On April 8, in the Museum's Wallach Orientation Center, Margaret Wertheim, who is also an award-winning science writer, will join with Kate Holmes, an AMNH marine biologist, to discuss both the evolving Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef and the current environmental challenges facing real coral reefs, such as the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest, which stretches along the coast of the Werthheim twins' native Queensland, Australia. Holmes is a Biodiversity Specialist in the Marine Program of the Museum's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, and has done extensive fieldwork on the complexity of marine life in The Bahamas.
In the ocean, Ioopy kelps, fringed anemones, crenellated corals, and curlicued sponges are all manifestations of a single mathematical structure known as hyperbolic space. The art of crochet was first used to illustrate hyperbolic space by Daina Taimina of Cornell University--a discovery that astounded the mathematical world. Building on Dr. Taimina's technique, the Wertheims and other project participants have mimicked tightly bunched mounds of brain coral, towering spires of pillar coral, blooms of carnation coral, wavy strands of kelp, and other life forms--often modifying the underlying "crochet code" to create a huge range of hyperbolic crochet "species," just as the marvelous diversity of living species results From variations of a genetic code. The IFF Reef is a quintessentially collaborative project, and anyone who takes up this style of crochet can begin to develop their own woolly "species."
The impact of a group display must be seen to be appreciated. To that end, the Institute has arranged exhibitions across the country including two in Manhattan this month and next, in addition to the evening program at the Museum. For more information about hyperbolic crochet, exhibition locales, and exquisite photos, visit the Institute's Web site at www.theiff.org.
This program is supported, in part, by Kay Allaire and Ruth A. Unterberg.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Natural History Magazine, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
Find Research Guides for:
Find Featured Titles for: Arts
Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »