Last year, this natural spectacle coincided with the woolly propagation of two new colonies of the Crochet Coral Reef, a long-running craft-science collaborative artwork now inhabiting the Schlossmuseum in Linz, Austria, and the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
The project also explores mathematical themes, since many living reef organisms biologically approximate the quirky curvature of hyperbolic geometry.
By contrast, the surface of a sphere displays constant positive curvature; at all points, the surface bends inward toward itself.
And a hyperbolic plane exhibits constant negative curvature; at all points, the surface curves away from itself.
Reef life thrives on hyperbolism, so to speak; the curvy surface structure of coral maximizes nutrient intake, and nudibranchs propel through water with frilly flanges.
Organizations:
Carnegie Museum of Art
Locations:
Linz, Austria, Pittsburgh