Visualizing Nature and its Sea of Changes: Where Art and Science Meet
The Hyperbolic Coral Reef project has spread around the globe Nature is mysterious and some of the magical colors and patterns of the coral reef are a wonder of nature's artistry. Surprisingly, vegetables such as kale, frissée and other lettuces mimic the free-flowing, wild patterns found in the coral reef. These products of nature form hyperbolic planes, not explained by Euclidean Geometry. Crochet, a fiber art that traditionally has utilitarian purpose, holds the power to make this mystery visible to our eyes. With this in mind, various hyperbolic coral reef projects have sprung up around the globe, bringing together crochet artists to call attention to the fact that this natural wonder -- something akin to the oceans' natural forest -- is vastly disappearing as a result of pollution, human waste and climate change. Photo of satellite reef, Föhr, Germany, courtesy Uta Lenk The Hyperbolic Coral Reef Project is the brainstorm of Margaret and Christine Wertheim, ...