How Domino Art Is Created
Domino is a small, flat, rectangular block used for gaming, often with other domino pieces on the side. A domino set usually contains 28 pieces that are either blank or bear from one to six pips (or dots). Dominoes may be played in positional games, in which the player places the domino edge-to-edge against an opponent’s piece to form a specified total. They may also be stacked on end in long lines to make intricate designs. They have many nicknames, including bones, cards, tiles, stones, spinners and tickets.
When a domino is tipped, it causes the next piece in line to tip and then the one after that, and so on until the whole chain falls over. This is the inspiration for the phrase “domino effect,” which refers to a chain reaction that starts with one simple action but eventually has much larger–and sometimes catastrophic–consequences.
Many children like to play with dominoes, which can be stacked on end in long rows. When one domino is tipped, it can cause the others to tip and fall over, creating beautiful patterns. In some cases, these dominoes are so large that when the entire sequence is completed, it reveals a mural or portrait on the floor.
The art of building large chains of dominoes is called domino art. Hevesh, a professional domino artist who has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, makes spectacular domino setups for movies, TV shows and events. Some of her largest installations require several nail-biting minutes to fall, but once they do, they reveal breathtaking displays of beauty and skill. Hevesh carefully tests each section of her displays to ensure that they work correctly before she puts them together. In the video below, she explains how her testing process helps her refine her domino designs.
While it is possible to build dominoes from cardboard, wood and other materials, most sets of dominoes are made of bone or silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony. They have contrasting black or white pips, or dots, on each domino. Other natural and manufactured substances have been used to make dominoes, such as marble, granite and soapstone; metals; ceramic clay; and even frosted glass or crystal. Each type of material has its own distinctive look and feel.