National University of Ireland

Over the past 6 months between bad weather, chickenpox and the mind-numbing fog of framing possibilities, I finally got my commission for The School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics at NUI Galway finished, mounted, framed, plinthed and delivered!

What can a crocheter make for a Maths Department?
Why Hyperbolic Crochet of course? What else... The Maths Department in NUIG, are hoping to fill their corridor with maths-inspired art and sculpture over the next few years. And I am so delighted, not that my work is the first to decorate its halls, but that its textile, its crochet, and its one woman's ingenuity, Daina Taimina, that enabled this project. She will be thought of, every time a mathematician, young or old walks through that hallway.

The Work:
I made 3 pieces of Hyperbolic Crochet; 1hyperbolic plane, and 2 pseudospheres. They are made from 100% cotton, Debbie Bliss Ecobaby organic white cotton, crocheted with as small a hook as I could manage to make the pieces very firm.

The Frames:
It took a bit of searching to get the right frames. (Or lack of frame, as in a 3D perspex box!). But I finally found the most wonderful framers Fine Framers in Carlow. It was a bit of a drive, but the lovely Yvonne was incredible, patient and thank god, so professional! She was pretty much just handed the pieces and told to do her thing. I will admit I know nothing about framing. Finding the right framer, I think, is like finding a soul-mate. They can make or break a piece of work, and especially textiles...well, I can't recommend them enough.


The Photos:
I didn't get great photos, I'll be doing a trip back up, when they are all settled, but here's the few snaps I took. The plinths are approx 22"square and 22"high. The frames are just smaller, say 21"square, and 10" high. So, they are big pieces

For more info on Hyperbolic Crochet, visit Daina's Blog www.hyperbolic-crochet.blogspot.com/