The latest exhibition of our Crochet Coral Reef project is open at the New York University Abu Dhabi Institute in the United Arab Emirates. Centering around a new Coral Forest installation comprised of six large-scale ‘snakey-armed’ sculptures crocheted from yarn and plastic thread (including an all-white shopping-bag-and-Saran-wrap extravaganza plus its all-black video-tape sibling), the exhibition is a meditation on the evolution of oceanic forms and a reflection on the tsunami of plastic trash threatening marine life. At the opposite end of the scale, the show includes a collection of miniature coral Pod Worlds, each a tiny faux universe curated from pieces by some of our most skilled crafters. On show also is the NYU Abu Dhabi Satellite Reef, the newest addition to the ever-growing archipelago of crochet reefs worldwide. Looking stunning in this volcanically inspired space, the exhibition runs through December 5th 2014.
Crochet Coral Forest, at the New York University Abu Dhabi Institute, UAE. October 2014. The white and pink sculptures at left are crocheted entirely from plastic. In the foreground is a “Pod World” vitrine featuring plastic crochet corals by Christine Wertheim and Kathleen Greco, resting on a bed of plastic “sand” gathered from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. [The tall orange piece, Coral Forest – Stheno, is from the collection of Jorian Polis Schutz.]