C R A F T IN A C T IO N
By Hook
or by Crook
A huge installation o f crocheted coral
is engaging visitors in a pro ject where
math, science, and handcraft converge.
s t o r y b y
Tara Leigh Tappert
p j r <
-
C
i\
■
\
•
-
k
/ * a s
A FIBER ART PROJECT LAUNCHED
in 2005 in th e liv in g room o f
tw o siste rs has sp read arou n d
th e w o rld and ta k en ro o t at th e
S m ith so n ian . T h e b u rg eo n in g
“ H y p e rb o lic C ro c h e t C o ral
R e e f ’ and
Smithsonian Commu-
nity R e e f-
th e p ro je c t’s latest
sa tellite r e e f - are on e x h ib it at
th e N ational M u seu m o f N atural
H is to ry in W a sh in g to n , D .C .,
th ro u g h A p ril 24. U ltim a te ly ,
th e th o u san d s o f c ro c h e t o rg a n -
ism s th at co m p rise th e tw o
re e fs m ay raise a w aren ess to
p ro te c t th e real, en d an gered
re e fs on th e ocean floor.
T w in sisters M a rg a re t and
C h ristin e W e rth e im b egan th e ir
m am m oth c ra ft u n d e rtak in g as
an in itia tiv e o f th e ir L o s A n g e -
les-b ased In stitu te F o r F ig u rin g
(I F F ) . M a rg a re t, a scie n ce w r it-
er, and C h ristin e , a C a lifo rn ia
In stitu te o f th e A r ts p ro fe sso r,
b ecam e fa scin ated b y th e w o r k
o f C o rn e ll U n iv e r s ity m ath em a-
tician D ain a T aim in a. A n ar-
d en t c ra fte r sin ce h er L a tv ia n
ch ild h o o d , T a im in a d isco v e re d
in 199 7 th at h y p e rb o lic space
co u ld b e p h y sic a lly m o d eled
th rou gh c ro c h e te d form s.
(“ H y p e rb o lic sp ace” is a term
from n o n -E u clid ean g e o m e try ;
a h y p e rb o lic plane is a su rface
in w h ic h th e sp ace c u rv e s a w a y
fro m its e lf at e v e r y p o in t.)
T a im in a ’s m ath em atically p u re,
ru ffle d stru ctu re s rem in d ed th e
A u stralian -b o rn sisters o f the
c u rly coral cre atu res th at form
th e G re a t B arrie r R e e f. C h ris-
tin e and M a rg a re t th en re-inter-
p re te d T a im in a ’s a cad em ically
p rescrib ed sh apes in to a m u lti-
fario u s c ro ch e te d re e f. F o r tw o
y e a rs, p iles o f c ro c h e te d “ co ral”
accu m u lated in n ea rly e v e ry
room o f th e siste rs’ C raftsm an -
era h o m e , b e fo re th e y e v e n an -
n o u n ced th e p ro je c t on th e I F F
w e b s ite . W h e n th e y d id , th e y
n o t o n ly attracte d th e in terest
o f th e A n d y W a rh o l M u seu m
in P ittsb u rg h - th e r e e f w a s
in clu d ed in a 2007 e x h ib it on
glo b a l w a rm in g - b u t also d re w
co n trib u to rs fro m aroun d th e
g lo b e . T o d a y , th e W e rth e im s ’
w e b site a ck n o w le d g e s th e m ore
than 75 cra fte rs w h o cro c h e te d
coral fo r th e
IF F Core R e e f
as
w e ll as the w o r k o f the thousands
Top: Detail from
The
Above: Christine
Ladies Silurian Atoll
,
Wertheim curates
a piece of the “Hyperbolic
The People’s R eef
in
Crochet Coral Reef.”
Scottsdale, Arizona.
032 american craft fcb/m arn
Photos: The Institute For Figuring
