Over the summer (last summer, 2008 we're talking here) Mum (affectionately known as The Mad Woman) and I went into London to see the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef on display at the Southbank Centre. It was made by the Institute for Figuring, which appears to be a group that uses maths to interpret the world. You can check out their rather self-important website here but you have to visit the 'about' page to grasp the full extent of their eccentricity.
Their mission statement for this exhibition was as follows;
"The Institute For Figuring is crocheting a coral reef: a woolly celebration of the intersection of higher geometry and feminine handicraft, and a testimony to the disappearing wonders of the marine world."
Now, I don't know about anyone else, but that sounds like a perfect day out to me. Old lady crafts combined with conservation, you'd only have to throw in ponies somewhere and I would be in heaven. Apparently some stupendously HUGE quantity of plastic ends up in a big vortex at the bottom of the ocean, where it will stay for the next few thousand years as plastic takes a long long time to degrade. Even though shopping bag handles break on the way home from the supermarket but, y'know...whatever.
Some of the reef is crocheted out of wool to hyperbolic mathematical patterns, you can crochet baby trousers in the same way I'm sure, I have the tutorial somewhere. Some of it is crocheted out of plastic rubbish, which I thought was an especially clever way of making a statement about the damage plastic does to coral reefs.
I didn't have a camera back then, so here's some photos piked off the IFF website. You can check out the original article here.
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5 comments:
wow, i would have loved to have seen that coral reef. it looks so pretty.
It was pretty awesome, I wish I'd taken my own camera instead of having to steal photos off the website!
How the devil are you anyway? Whereabouts in the country are you now?
I'm back in Lowestoft now. But...I'll be back on the isle of rum by next thursday! i can't wait to get back to scotland.
how are you? how's the etsy shop going?
Awesome, remind me what you're doing on Rum again? I'm sure you've told me in the past so I feel a bit rubbish that I can't remember!
The etsy shop has sadly ground to a halt, I've got it all set up I think but I just don't have the time at the moment to make enough things to list. I'm hoping to pick it up again over the summer once I have a bit more free time, assuming I don't have any resits! xx
you won't have any resits! you'll pass with flying colours i'll bet :D
i'll be working in kinloch castle which is kinda half museum hlaf hostel/hotel. i'm gonna be doing tour guiding, cleanign toilets, a little bit of everything.
sucks about etsy. hopefully it'll all be back p the summer though eh? same with me. crafting has ground to a halt here.
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