This Interactive Exhibit is Encouraging People to Crochet... to Save Coral Reefs

“If you’ve been living under a rock, you may not know what all the animals living under the ocean know all too well – humans are destroying our earth’s coral reefs.”

Coral reefs are not only beautiful, they are also unique ecosystems, which are essential to the survival of over 4,000 different species of fish – and play a role in the lives of 25 percent of marine life on the planet. However, most reefs have lost 40-50 percent of their coral dues to rising temperatures and ocean acidification.

While scientist have been desperately trying to warn the general population about the dangers of global warming, for well over a decade, two sisters in L.A. took a more creative approach to the problem. In 2005, twins Margaret and Christine Wertheim started Crochet Coral Reef project in California. The sisters combined their great love of the Great Barrier Reef and their passion for crocheting to create striking images that would start conversations about saving the planet’s coral reefs. The sisters have partnered with The Institute for Figuring, a group dedicated to the poetic aesthetic of science, and their artwork has been traveling the globe for over a decade. The exhibit currently resides in the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.”