No End in Sight - Exhibition

Artist Statement

As far back as I can remember I have made things. I have always used my hands and the artistic, visual side of my brain to create. At the same time I struggled to understand the fundamentals of science; I fantasized about being a scientist and to study the brain. I wanted to understand and use the analytical, mathematical side of my brain to explore the nature of artistic creation. Coming into the Reef Project has helped me get a glimpse of that. While listening to a lecture by Christine, I entered the world of hyperbolic forms. I started to create examples of these forms the day of the lecture and I have not stopped since.

A lot of my artwork is made from readymade fabric and thread. In that work I start by posing questions and statements that define human nature and experience, questions that have no certain answer. In crochet I have found a place I can create forms. Making an endless structure comes to me as an organic process using yarn and plastic. This is a place I focus my attention on improvisational form along with thoughts concerning the planet, environmentalism and my own place in this world. I feel there are answers to questions concerning how we treat our damaged world and how we find ways to fix it, using art to highlight this process.

Aviva Alter - Chicago (Jan 2008)

The Institute For Figuring is crocheting a coral reef: a woolly celebration of the intersection of higher geometry and feminine handicraft, and a testimony to the disappearing wonders of the marine world.

One of the acknowledged wonders of the natural world, the Great Barrier Reef stretches along the coast of Queensland like a psychadelic serpent, a riotous profusion of color and form unparalleled on our planet. But global warming and pollutants so threaten this fragile monster that scientists now believe the reef will be devastated in coming years. As a homage to the Great One, IFF co-directors Margaret and Christine Wertheim - who grew up in Queensland - have instigated a project to crochet a woolen reef. Using the techniques of hyperbolic crochet discovered by mathematician Dr. Daina Taimina, the Institute has been evolving a wide taxonomy of reef-life forms - loopy "kelps", fringed "anemones", and curlicued "corals." While the process that brings these models into being is algorithmic, endless permutations of the underlying formulae result in a constantly surprising panoply of shapes. The quality of yarn, style of stitch and tightness of the crochet all affect the finished model so that each is as individual as a living organism. As a whole, the Crochet Reef is made up of various different “sub-reefs,” each with its own colors and styling: there is the Red Reef, the Blue Reef, the Bleached Reef, the Branched Anemone Garden, and our largest work, The Ladies’ Silurian Atoll, a ring-shaped installation with close to 1000 individual crochet forms made by dozens of contributors from around the world. In addition to these woolen sub-reefs is the massive Toxic Reef, crocheted from yarn and plastic trash.

Each model results from the application of an iterative recipe repeated over and over. Like fractals such as the Mandelbrot Set, these forms come into being only through the process of doing some “boring” step again and again and again. Though experience often serves as a guide, there is no way to know in advance what a specific algorithm will achieve and we have many times been surprised when seemingly insignificant changes in the underlying pattern have led to fundamentally new results. This is, in a very real sense, a kind of experimental mathematics and we invite crocheters everywhere to join us in exploring the myriad possibilities inherent in these techniques.

Getting started on your own hyperbolic models is easy. The basic insight is to understand that these forms result from the simple process of increasing the number of stitches in every row. The more often you increase stitches the faster the model will grow and the more crenellated will be finished form. Models can begin with a simple line, resulting in a hyperbolic plane; or from a single point with the crochet spiraling around to gradually fan out like a cone, resulting in what is known as a pseudosphere. You may also begin from a circle, which will produce a tubular, bell shaped, or trumpeted configuration. Once you start to experiment, the variety is endless. We recommend that beginners read the IFF’s online exhibit on Hyperbolic Space and study the introductory gallery for helpful tips.

As you explore, be playful – don’t worry about sticking too closely to the formal rules, though it’s interesting and important to understand what the rules do. Try things out for fun. Experiment with different types of yarn. Try mixing yarns together, say a thick worsted and a fine mohair. Try varying the rate of increase in a single model. Consider using string, plastic and wire or anything else that takes your fancy. Try felting – throw the finished model in a washing machine with really hot water and let it churn for half an hour. This only works with pure wool (acrylics and cotton will not felt) but the results are wild! Finally – send us photos of your models and we will put them online in our People’s Hyperbolic Gallery.

Contributors:
The IFF Crochet Coral Reef is a collective and collaborative enterprise. The reef project was created by IFF directors Margaret and Christine Wertheim and from the beginning it was conceived as a celebration of women’s handiwork that would welcome all who want to participate. Our ideal is to have contributors from as many countries as possible – especially those nations with major reef ecosystems. We are thus delighted to acknowledge four stellar contributors from Australia, home to the Great Barrier Reef: Marianne Midelburg, Helen Bernasconi, Helle Jorgensen and our mother Barbara Wertheim (who taught us handicrafts as children.) Every person who comes to this seems to bring a unique perspective and we have learned from experience that the best models are the ones we have least imagined - we encourage you to let your imaginations run riot. All contributors will be acknowledged on this website and in exhibitions where the work is shown.

Due to overwhelming response, we are only now accepting new contributions in plastic (except in unusual or extenuating cases.) We especially would like to receive things made from plastic-bag-yarn.

Ernst Haeckel, Patron Saint
Daina Taimina, Inventor of Hyperbolic Crochet
Christine Wertheim, Crochet Reef Co-Creator
Margaret Wertheim, Crochet Reef Co-Creator
Evelyn Hardin
Sarah Simons
Ildiko Szabo
Kathleen Greco
Dr. Axt's Reefer Madness
Aviva Alter
Sue Von Ohlsen
Nadia Severns
Helle Jorgensen
Inga Hamilton
Helen Bernasconi
Rebecca Peapples
Marianne Midelburg
Eleanor Kent