On the evening of June 17, 2011, the Hawaii Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Exhibit, coordinated by Michelle Schwengel-Regala, was unveiled during Slow Art Friday, a monthly event held at The Arts at Mark’s Garage, a collaborative art gallery located in the Chinatown section of downtown Honolulu, Hawaii.
The main Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Project is the brainchild of
“… Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute For Figuring in Los Angeles. Launched as a response to the devastation of living reefs from global warming and ocean acidification, the Crochet Reef resides at the intersection of art, science, mathematics and environmentalism … .” The Hawaii Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef is one of over 20 “satellite” reefs that have been exhibited in art and science museums around the world. Crocheters from six countries and 12 states, including Hawaii, contributed the over 400 pieces that make up this exhibit.The reception at Mark’s Garage featured a variety of speakers who discussed important issues related to the preservation of the world’s reefs in general, and Hawaii’s reefs in particular. Afterwards, attendees were invited to try their hand at crocheting hyperbolic coral reef pieces.
I did my best to get photos of all angles of the reef, but because it is behind a glass window, it dawned on me after I took the photo below that I needed to turn off my flash so I wouldn’t get a reflection of it in the photo. The rest of the photos are a bit dark because the lighting in the exhibit room was muted. Be sure to click the photos to get a better view.
I thought the felted reef pieces were particularly authentic looking.
In addition to the coral pieces, a number of crocheters created wonderful replicas of marine life found in the waters of the Hawaiian islands.
I had a grand total of one piece in the exhibit. If you look just left of center in the following photo, you’ll see my small piece of crocheted transverse coral. It has the little squiggly white circles on a dark gray background. A piece of brain coral sits on top of it.
I had a fabulous time at the Slow Friday event which, in addition to the exhibit, included good food, cool music, and some interesting performances featuring dancers with hoola hoops!
The Hawaii Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef exhibit will remain at Mark’s Garage through June 28, 2011. Take some time to get over there to check it out. It is truly amazing?
5 comments On The Hawaii Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Exhibit
Oh my gosh, this is absolutely stunning! I have never seen anything so artistic done with crochet. Amazing and a true work of art.
Hey there, lperry! Isn’t it amazing?!? Many crocheters and knitters got extremely creative. I especially like the marine life.. Glad you stopped by to see it. Appreciate your comment!
Great crochet!! I’m going to several Hawaiian islands and it has become my tradition to buy yarn from every place I holiday. Do you have any suggestions on the best places to buy something original while I am there?
Hey Janice, I can tell you about yarn stores on Oahu. A really nice LYS is YarnStory in downtown Honolulu. The website is yarnstoryhawaii.com. Kim has a wonderful collection of animal and plant fibers, as well as roving from sheep on the Big Island. The LYS on the windward (east) side of the island is Aloha Yarn (alohayarn.com). Nanea has a nice selection of yarns as well. There’s also a chain craft store called Ben Franklin Crafts. There are several locations around the island. Ask the concierge at your hotel and they should be able to direct you to the closest one. They sell mostly lei yarn, Red Heart, some Cascade 220, Lily’s Sugar and Cream, and I think some Lion Brand Homespun. M.K. Carroll, a local fiber artist, has put together a list of yarn shops on Oahu and other islands. Here’s a link: http://mkcarroll.com/2005/11/yarn-shops-hawaii/. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions.
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