Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef is a large-scale, constantly mutating, series of hand-made crochets that replicate the forms of natural coral. In 1997 Dr. Daina Taimina, a professor at Cornell University, astounded the scientific world by realising the first physical model of a hyperbolic plane, using crocheted wool. Using the same mathematical technique, two Australian sisters, Christine and Margaret Wertheim, created the idea for a Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef.

The project, organised by the Los Angeles based Institute for Figuring is a direct response to the plight of coral reef from pollution and global warming. Fusing science and mathematics with fine art and handicraft, the reef is constantly updated by an ever-expanding group of participants from around the world.