Hyperbolic Coral Reef

Over spring break, I went to D.C.  Partially to visit my boyfriend, but partially to see a knit/crocheted coral reef in the Natural History Smithsonian.  I didn't know anything about the project, just that my sister had seen it a few weeks before.  But I wondered why people would spend hours upon hours creating such a thing!  It actually is a quite interesting project, and I invite you to read more later at their website.

My first view of the reef! Delightfully chaotic.

Close up of the main display: Many kinds of coral, starfish, etc.

Two sisters from Queensland, Australia started the project in 2005.  It is based on a special kind of crochet discovered by a mathematician that involves doing variations of a simple pattern in order to produce endless new shapes.

My favorite picture. I love how the jellyfish hangs down.

There were several parts to the display.  One was a bleached reef, and one was a "toxic reef," made from trash.  Both demonstrated the damage being done to coral reefs.

You're not seeing monochromatic pictures! This is the bleached reef.  I loved the silver tubes in the middle.

Another close-up of the bleached reef.

For information on how to make your own coral reefs (i.e. buy their book), click here.
If you'd like to start a satellite reef to the project, look here.

Washed out picture of me in front of the reef.

I'll share the rest of my spring break adventures (and a knitting update) in my next post.