Who hasn't spend an afternoon watching clouds? We could gaze up at those comforting yet mysterious shapeshifting pillows for days without getting bored. Well, apparently, that is nothing, because 40 craftswomen in Argentina just spent a week working for the good of a cloud, crafting a crocheted sculpture of the puffy whiteness in the sky above us. And the best part is, it is mathematically accurate.
'Cummulus' is an installation by Argentinian artist and architect Ciro Najle. Najle worked for 3 years researching fog-collecting nets to help capture water in dry regions. Najile then aestheticized his nets, turning his attention toward crocheting to create a similar harmonic topology to the natural cloud.
The transition was no easy feat. The New Scientist explains: "The sculpture comprises crocheted squares, each of which has an individual pattern modelled by Najle, who generated 1664 different diagrams pinpointing the intersections of the woollen strands, the crochet knots that are key to its structure."
Located in a Paris basement, the cloud sculpture uses crocheted knots to imitate a cloud's fractal formation. Crochet is a uniquely appropriate medium because it allows for infinite substructures within the chain of knots, allowing the piece to expand like a cauliflower; it is also a popular method for depicting coral.
You can touch it, walk through it, lie under it, nap under it ... well, maybe we're getting carried away here. Watch the video and check out the slideshow to see the magical merging of art and science.
Check out the avant-garde science/art gallery Le Laboratoire for more cool shows like this one, and please let us know what you think in the comments section below.
