Starfish

Today I met a friend and went downtown to see the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef at the Museum of Natural History.  They call it the "intersection of mathematics, marine biology, handcraft and community art practice."  It's way cool.  Begun by two women in their apartment, it has grown into a world wide art/environmental installation.  Although their website crochetcoralreef.org does a much better job explaining it than I do, I can try.  Mathematicians were aware of a third kind of geometry beyond planes and spheres they named it hyperbolic, but didn't know how to make models that showed the intersection of lines.  A woman mathematician discovered she could create a model with crochet.  It has to do with algorithms, fractals, repeated sets and increasing stitches.  Well I can't really explain it.  But it made me want to crochet.
There is a large central reef full of different colors and textures. There are also several different satellite reefs that are more thematic.  One is made of plastic cut into strips and crocheted with garbage accents, surprisingly sparkly.  Another is all white.  One case is full of beaded pieces.  Some really exquisite corals were made of really fine and delicate wire.

A crocheted starfish

A live starfish in Maine last summer

 
The only thing I didn't like about the exhibit was that you couldn't touch it.  It is just so tactile, you just want to squeeze handfuls of it.  Maybe I'll just have to order their book and start to make my own anemone and jellyfish.