A crochet coral reef, which is travelling around the country, has arrived in Colchester.
The UK Hyperbolic Reef is a large-scale artwork that consists of thousands of brightly coloured crocheted coral.
"It is all the beautiful colours that you imagine in a real coral reef when you see it underwater," said Judith Merrit, head of learning at firstsite.
"We want people to 'grow' this coral reef. The point is it doesn't just stay as a piece of artwork," she added.
"We're putting a challenge out there, we're asking the people in Colchester to join in."
'Hyperbolic' describes the technique used to make the crochet reef. It is the same process that causes coral reef to grow.
"How a coral reef grows in wavy lines is so how the crochet grows," said Judith.
"When you are doing this particular crochet you use a technique that makes it grow in that form."
Textile artist Gilly Burrell has been demonstrating the basics of crochet at events at firstsite in Short Wyre Street, Colchester.
 Textile artist Gilly Burrell demonstrates the basics of crochet |
"The lovely thing is it introduces the vocabulary of the process. It introduces mathematical concepts, you can look into the geography of it, the curved lines things like that," said Gilly.
To further highlight the importance of looking after the world's coral reef, some parts have been made out of recycled materials.
"I've made a piece out of video tape and clear plastic magazine covers cut into lengths and then crocheted," said Gilly.
http://www.firstsite.uk.net/
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