Day: December 2, 2023

Domino is a small rectangular wood or plastic block, usually 28 in number, that has one side with an arrangement of dots that resembles those on dice. The other side is blank or a different pattern. It is used to play games that involve laying out lines of dominoes. The first player to cover all of the empty spaces wins the game. Traditionally, domino sets were made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory or a dark hardwood such as ebony with inlaid black or white pips. More recently, molded polymer dominoes have become very popular because of their durability and low cost. In some countries, dominoes are still manufactured from natural materials such as wood or stone. These sets tend to have a more rustic look, and are generally heavier in weight than those made from polymer. There are two basic types of domino games: blocking and scoring. Blocking games prevent other players from playing until a certain amount of pieces have been covered. In scoring games, players take turns laying down dominoes on an unbroken line until either all of the pieces have been played or none of them can be. The number of pips on a domino determines its suit. A domino that has a single suit of dots is called a “single” and has a value of 1; double-blanks have a value of 0. Most dominoes feature a combination of suits. The most common domino sets commercially available have 28 tiles of each suit. Increasingly, larger sets are being manufactured for players who want to play long domino games. When a domino is placed, its matching end must be touching another domino or the edge of a table or other surface. If a double is used, its matching side must be touching the middle of the other domino. The resulting chains can develop in a variety of shapes, from straight or zigzag to a snake-line. The resulting patterns are part of the enjoyment of domino play. In some domino shows, builders compete for the most complex and imaginative domino reaction or effect before a live audience of fans. Builders often spend hours or even days carefully constructing their domino chains before the show starts, and the results are remarkable to behold. Hevesh takes a similar approach with her domino work. She spends time testing each section before putting them all together. She then films her tests in slow motion so she can make precise adjustments. Hevesh says that she uses her dominoes to model the way stories unfold. She says that if she didn’t create detailed outlines of her scenes ahead of time, she might end up with scenes that don’t have enough logical impact. She sees her dominoes as a sort of scaffolding that allows her to build an intricate and entertaining story. As she works, she reminds herself that even the largest domino can fall with just a small nudge.