Crafty work has local coral reefs truly in stitches

A CORAL reef made from crochet, knit and felt is the culmination of a community of crafters’ vision to protect local marine life, according to organisers.
Sue Jenkins said a Geelong Community Reef exhibition opening this week would showcase the coral and marine life of Port Phillip Bay through art and craft.
About 175 people contributed to the exhibition, including participants in aged care facilities, schools and local craft groups.
The Geelong project was part of a worldwide movement started by American mathematicians who discovered crochet was the perfect way to demonstrate hyperbolic planes.
“Hyperbolic crochet enabled them to mimic tightly bunched brain coral, spires of pillar coral and forests of kelp,” Ms Jenkins said.
The group took its inspiration from a book of photographs that showed the “impressive colours” in the Geelong region’s bays.
“We want people to be surprised there are red sea corals, bright yellows and royal blues,” Ms Jenkins said.
The project included the Geelong Community Reef group teaching crochet skills to aged care residents, school students and other groups.
“It’s really blown out of all expectations. People who were struggling with arthritis or could hardly crochet or knit or anything have really come along with their skills,” Ms Jenkins said.
Some experienced crafters used to making garments initially found the “non-functional” aspect of making the artwork difficult to grasp but most enjoyed getting creative, she said.
Geelong Community Reef is at Shearers Arms Visual Art Centre, 202 Aberdeen St, Geelong West, from Wednesday 13 to March 16.