Artenreicher Trockenrasen
HYPERBOLISCHE HÄKELFORMEN
nach Daina_Taimiņa
Participatory Project
A method to raise awareness for the protection of dry grassland.
We call on all those interested to join us in crocheting the naturally protected dry grassland according to the principle of the hyperbolic form and thus become part of a collective artistic elaboration of art and ecology.
Please bring or drop off crocheted dry grass objects at the VSL between 4.7. – 17.7.
For the symposium ‘Die Wilden sind Wir’ we will show the crocheted biodiversity as an installation on July 16 and 17, 2022.
In the dry grassland, we encounter an almost inexhaustible, idiosyncratic diversity that manifests itself in wavy leaves, colorful flowers and bent stems and grasses. Anyone who has not yet been able to see the TROCKENRASEN nature reserve for themselves will be able to identify it in the unmistakable crochet shapes, as this rarity is the inspiration for it. The corrugated and ruffled shapes are a variation on a mathematical phenomenon known as hyperbolic geometry.
Hyperbolic forms are omnipresent in our flora in leaves and flowers. These enlarge the surfaces and are defined by a diverse range of species that perform a filtering function for our environment and on which photosynthesis takes place.
Photosynthesis is a vital biochemical process in which light energy (solar energy) is converted into chemically bound energy. Almost all living organisms that are not capable of photosynthesis, such as us humans, depend on it. It is only through plants and their photosynthesis that the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide can be converted into oxygen, which is vital for us. The protective ozone layer is also created from the oxygen produced.
Dr. Daina_Taimiņa discovered in 1997 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, that the easiest way for humans to create models of hyperbolic geometry is by crocheting. However, nature by no means adheres to mathematical precision. Just as nothing in nature is perfectly spherical, it also has no perfectly hyperbolic shapes. Rather, living forms are fed by errors, deviations from the norm and aberrations.
Analogous to the diversity of living organisms, which is fed by variations of an underlying DNA code, a variety of textile ‘species’ can be created here by modifying an underlying crochet code. As in nature, organic-looking structures are created through modification and experimentation. Everyone who crochets in our project can directly explore what else is possible.
Hyperbolic crochet instructions:
The basic hyperbolic patterns are systematically described here. To crochet a hyperbolic structure, simply increase stitches regularly in each row. The higher the frequency of the stitch increase, the more the corresponding pattern will curl.
HYPERBOLIC LEVEL
STEP 1: To crochet a simple hyperbolic surface, start with a row of chain stitches. For a first attempt, we would recommend fifteen to twenty stitches.
STEP 2: After the chain stitch row, start the first row by crocheting five single crochet stitches and then increasing one stitch. Follow this principle until the end of the row: crochet five stitches, increase one stitch; crochet five stitches, increase one stitch – and so on.
STEP 3: Turn the crochet over to change to the next row. In this and all further rows, simply continue according to this pattern.
CURLY HYPERBOLIC LEVEL
For the first pattern, the frequency of the stitch increase is one for every six stitches. You should increase this frequency for a curlier style. In this pattern, increase one for every four stitches.
Try out different frequencies and rates of increase. Different types of thread also behave differently.
PSEUDO SPHERE
In this model, a ring is crocheted around hyperbolically.
STEP 1: Start with a row of chain stitches.
STEP 2: After twelve stitches, crochet three more stitches into the last stitch. Join this group of three stitches together to form a ring.
STEP 3: Crochet around the edge of the growing cone and increase stitches at regular intervals, e.g. one for every three stitches.
HYPERBOLIC LEVEL DUO
This model is based on the fact that you crochet hyperbolically around both sides of a line, just like a running track in a stadium oval.
STEP 1: Start with a row of chain stitches.
STEP 2: Crochet along one of the sides of the row. Increase stitches at regular intervals.
STEP 3: At the end of this row, increase five stitches in the last stitch, then turn the crochet and crochet back on the opposite side, continuing to increase at the same rhythm.
STEP 4: Continue the hyperbolic crochet along the ‘racetrack’ in all subsequent rows. The resulting shape, which is reminiscent of mosses or grass patches, is basically made up of two interconnected hyperbolic planes.
SEED CAPSULE MODEL
STEP 1: To create this pretty shape, you need to start with a row of fifteen chain stitches.
STEP 2: In the first row, crochet around the row on both sides, increasing in every stitch.
STEP 3: In the second row, increase in two out of three stitches.
STEP 4: On the third row, increase in every other stitch.
STEP 5: In the fourth row, increase in every third stitch and so on. This structure forms natural bolls.
Just as every organic shape has its own peculiarities and irregularities, this should and may also occur in the crocheted shapes.
Get to the crochet needle!
We are already looking forward to the species-rich crochet dry grassland.
