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Margaret Wertheim
Science writer + artist - - Creator "Crochet Coral Reef" - - Founder of Institute For Figuring.
Margaret Wertheim, born on August 20, 1958, is an Australian-born science writer, curator, and artist based in the United States. She is renowned for her work at the intersection of art, science, and mathematics, particularly through her role as co-founder and director of the Institute For Figuring (IFF), which she established in 2003 with her twin sister, Christine Wertheim. The IFF is a non-profit organization located in Los Angeles that promotes the aesthetic and poetic dimensions of science and mathematics through various projects and exhibitions.12
Academic and Professional Background
Wertheim has authored several influential books that explore the cultural history of physics and the relationship between science and society. Notable titles include Pythagoras' Trousers, which discusses the interplay between physics and religion, The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace, a historical account of space concepts from Dante to the Internet, and Physics on the Fringe, which examines outsider science.12 Her writings have appeared in prestigious publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Guardian, and Aeon.
Major Projects
One of her most significant contributions is the Crochet Coral Reef project, which combines art and environmental awareness by using crochet to represent coral reefs and raise awareness about climate change. This project has gained international acclaim and has been exhibited at major venues including the Venice Biennale and the Smithsonian Institution.13 The project emphasizes community involvement, with thousands of contributors from around the world participating in its creation.
Awards and Recognition
Wertheim has received several awards for her contributions to science communication, including the Scientia Medal for her efforts in promoting scientific literacy and understanding through art. She has also been recognized with the Klopsteg Memorial Award for communicating the excitement of physics.24 Her TED Talk on the Crochet Coral Reef has garnered over 1.6 million views, showcasing her ability to engage a broad audience with complex scientific ideas.2
Current Work
In addition to her artistic endeavors, Margaret Wertheim continues to write extensively about science and its cultural implications. She maintains a blog titled Science Goddess on Substack, where she explores various topics related to science and mathematics.2 Through her work at IFF and her writing, Wertheim aims to illuminate both the conceptual beauty of scientific ideas and their societal relevance.24
Highlights
A new exhibition of #CrochetCoralReefs is opening today at Schlossmuseum Linz. Over the past year, my sister Christine Wertheim and I have been collaborating with the museum and people all over Austria to produce an Austrian Satellite Reef – the latest community-based reef in our ongoing social-practice project. For this show 3,500 Austrians made over 30,000 corals – a mind-boggling mass of wooly wonderments.
At the museum, a passionate group of local crafters assembled these pieces into a suite of coral sculptures and wall-mounted coral "paintings". In the work below around 4,000 coral pieces are used. In the foreground is an elegant reef crocheted entirely from grey yarns and silvery wire, a monochromatic homage to Linz’s designation as Austria’s “steel city” and capital of the nation’s industrial heartland. Here is a delicate, wry, womanly interpretation of ‘industry’ – a floofy reimagining of the machine-age filtered through collective female imagination. Call it the "craft-industrial complex."
The Austrian Satellite Reef is a collaborative artwork conceived by Christine and Margaret Wertheim, executed by the people of Austria and hosted by #SchlossmuseumLinz. Thanks to museum director Alfred Weidinger for his unflagging support of the project. And to exhibition curator Genoveva Ruckert, project managers Petra Foehringer and Sandra Kratochwill, community engagement organizer Gabriele Kainberger, and the 3,000+ Austrian crafters who contributed corals. A list of all their names is included on the gallery walls.
Just finished the proposal for my new book about the concept of "Dimension". What does this term mean in #math #physics #datascience #ai #art and #culture? I'm looking into the science, mathematics and history behind this monumental idea, and exploring the many philosophical and sociological consequences of dimensional thinking in the modern era. It's a huge exciting topic, that underlies so much of science today. I'll be blogging about it on my #substack at Science Goddess.
https://lnkd.in/gKg3Ex6B
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