Domino is a small, flat block used as a gaming object. The term is also used to describe a game or set of games played with the tiles, which are sometimes called bones, pieces, men, or stones. The earliest mention of dominoes is from Song dynasty China, and they came to Europe in the 18th century. In addition to being used for games, dominoes can be made into art and even serve as a building material.
Domino Art
A domino artist, Hevesh, began creating intricate domino setups at age 10. By 17, she had created a YouTube channel where she posted videos of her work. She now designs domino art for movies, TV shows, and events, including the launch of a Katy Perry album. Her largest domino arrangements can take several nail-biting minutes to fall, but Hevesh says the hardest part is planning the design.
She makes test versions of each section and then films them in slow motion to make precise corrections when needed. Once she has perfected the pieces, they are then put together in a final version. She adds 3-D structures like towers and pyramids last because they require the most precision to fall.
Often, the most spectacular dominoes are created for movies and TV shows. For example, in a scene from the film “Arrival”, a massive domino set was built to represent an alien ship landing on Earth. The same technique is often used to create backdrops for weddings and other events.
In the past, some sets were made of natural materials like bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark wood such as ebony. Today, most sets are made of polymer. However, they can still be made from other types of rigid materials, such as marble, granite, or soapstone. These sets are usually more expensive and have a more unique, handmade look.
When someone talks about the “domino effect”, they mean any chain reaction in which one thing causes another to knock over, as if it were a domino. A 1983 study by University of British Columbia physicist Lorne Whitehead showed that something of about the size of a domino can knock over objects up to a third its size.
A domino game consists of a set of 28 small, oblong pieces (called bones) that are marked with 0-6 pips on each face. The game is played by two or more players in turns, with each player trying to play a bone that has a value that matches the open ends of the bones already on the layout. The first player to do so wins that hand. The game has many variants, but the most popular is 42. Dominoes are also used to build art and create displays, such as sculptures and murals. They can be stacked in straight lines or curved to form pictures or words. Some people even use them to make patterns on fabric. Domino can be used to teach children about patterning and sequencing, as well as spatial awareness.