Crazy Crochet

While researching, I came across this piece of art that was too cool to not share.  I discovered the Smithsonian's Community Reef.  Using hyperbolic geometry, this reef was created by Margaret and Christine Wertheim is all crocheted out of yarn.  I'm sure the images do not do it justice but they still really caught my attention.  The structure had lots of helping hands to create it, over 800 people from the Metropolitan D.C. area, as well as people around the country and world.  Over 4000 pieces of coral were crocheted to construct the reef.  The crocheters looked living corals, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in order to form complex and natural-looking structures.  Although the recreated Reef is no longer home  to the Smithsonian, it is still displayed at the Putnam Museum in Davenport Iowa.  Next time I'm in the midwest, I am definitely putting this on my list of things to stop and see.

The link below is a lecture by one of the creators Margaret Wertheim that gives thorough detail of the construction and growth of the coral reef project.
Lecture By Margaret Wertheim