The Crochet Coral Reef: Intersections of Math, Science, and Art through Hyperbolic Crochet
Margaret Wertheim is a writer, an artist, and a curator whose work brings together art, math, and science as evidenced in her Crochet Coral Reef, a worldwide project created through hyperbolic crochet. In this lecture Margaret will introduce the UIUC community to her work with the Institute for Figuring, a collaborative Los Angeles–based practice she runs with her twin sister, Christine Wertheim. Highlighting the “aesthetic and poetic dimensions of science and mathematics,” the sisters design art and science exhibits for galleries and museums around the world. Their Crochet Coral Reef is a global participatory endeavor that sits at the intersection of craft, geometry, community art, and environmentalism. The work has been seen by more than two million people and was exhibited at the 2019 Venice Biennale, the Smithsonian, and many other places. Margaret will discuss the interplay of art, science, and art as social practice within the Crochet Coral Reef project, while also promoting our very own locally made Urbana Champaign Satellite Reef, opening at the Siebel Center for Design in spring 2021.
Sponsors
Francis P. Rohlen Visiting Artists Fund/College of Fine & Applied Arts
George A. Miller Residency, Center for Advanced Study
MillerComm Lecture Series, Center for Advanced Study
School of Art & Design Visitors Committee