Binary Bonsai

The 2013 Orkney International Science Festival starts tomorrow, Thursday 5th September and as usual the programme is packed with interesting events to suit all ages and interests. You can see a full list of events on the Festival website, but the library Yap and Yarn group members are getting involved in one event which takes place as part of the Family Day on Saturday 7th September in the King Street Halls in Kirkwall.

The project  Botanica Mathematica is the brainchild of Madeleine Shepherd and Julia Collins who came up with it as a celebration of the year of Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013. The project's Ravelry Group page explains the nature of the project and its aims:

Botanica Mathematica is an exploration of mathematical structures arising in botanical forms, using generative instructions and textile techniques to create a sculptural installation. Simple algorithms applied to embroidery, patchwork, knitting and crochet generate elegant structures, rich textures and fascinating patterns.The aim of the project is to create an ever-growing textile herbarium of plant like forms generated by the application of algorithmic processed to craftwork of all sorts.

Madelaine contacted knitters in Orkney to encourgage them to create their own trees to add to the knitted bonsai forest and there is a free pattern for the binary bonsai tree available on Ravelry. It's not too late to knit your own bit of nature, if you can't get along to see Madeleine and Julia on the day then you can drop off your tree(s) at either Stromness or Kirkwall library and we will pass them on. As well as a chance to see the forest on the day of the event there will be kits of pattern and yarn to take away and make later.

Trees have  started to spring up in the libraries already. Kirkwall library has this very lovely specamin:

While the Stromness tree has a distincly Orcadian character with its lean away from the prevailing wind!