Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

Several of our gallery's members (as well as members of our parent guild) contributed their time and talent towards a very unusual upcoming exhibition. The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History will display the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef October 16 through April 24, 2011. The Reef is the perfect intersection of advanced mathematics, environmental science, biology, and fiber art. Learn more about the project here.

The mathematical concept of hyperbolic space is best shown in crochet. Who knew! The majority of the pieces donated to the reef are indeed crocheted, but other techniques were also accepted.

This is a classic example, by Debra Lee. The colors represent a "bleached" reef -- where the corals are dying due to increased seawater temperature. (The Smithsonian reef will have three parts: healthy, bleached, and toxic--lots of plastics incorporated.)

Marla Rudnick knits in silver wire. Here's a close-up of one of her creations:

Elida de Souza Moore made a variety of fascinating coral reef shapes.

Eileen Doughty stitched layers of netting and organza, to closely resemble a fragile Glass Sponge.

She also used a sewing machine stitching technique to make vase sponges, entirely out of thread.

The Smithsonian's reef is truly a community project, with hundreds of crafters within a few hundred miles of DC participating. Debra Lee organized seventeen people in her own neighborhood to make nearly 200 pieces! Here's a picture of them all, before being delivered to the Museum. Awesome!

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef will be a don't-miss event, starting October 16.

Featured artist: Elida de Souza Moore

The jurors for each of our shows may choose to award recognition for outstanding theme pieces.  For "The Child Within", Elida de Souza Moore was recognized for the entire body of work she submitted.  Elida is known for her art dolls, in addition to her other fiber media such as jewelry.

Elida says, "I am very pleased to be part of the show 'The Child Within.' I had the opportunity to bring back precious memories of my early age. And I am very excited that some of my pieces were recognized. I tried to recreate them as close as possible to the way I used to do when I was a kid: very modest, ordinary fabric, basic colors and unsophisticated techniques. I also tried to recreate the moments I had with my neighbor friends at the end of the day, playing “Ring-a-ring-a-roses.”

"Simone," "Xandoca," and  “Ring-a-ring-a-roses” are shown below.

We'll feature the other two juror recognition awards in future posts.