Domino is a game of chance and skill, played with a set of rectangular tiles called dominoes. The players aim to make the highest score possible by laying dominoes that have the same number of pips on them as the opposing player’s dominoes.
The rules of the game are simple. Each player draws seven dominoes for their hand, then plays any of those dominoes they wish from their hand. If no player can lay a domino from his hand, then the next highest double or domino is drawn, and play begins again with the next player. The player who lays the highest double or the highest domino wins the round and becomes the winner of the game.
How to Play the Game:
The first step in playing a game of domino is to shuffle all of the dominoes together and move them around the table so that no one knows where the pieces are. These shuffled tiles form a collection that is often called the boneyard.
Begin Design: After the bones have been shuffled, Hevesh starts by brainstorming images or words that might inspire her to design a layout with dominoes. She also decides what kind of pattern she wants the dominoes to fall in, whether it be straight or curved. She then works on a test version of each section of the installation in slow motion to ensure it will work well.
When the sections are done, she assembles them into larger 3-D arrangements. She also assembles the lines of dominoes that connect all the sections together and puts them in place.
There are several different variations to this design, and many of them are based on space constraints or whimsy. Unlike the traditional domino layout, in which only the “open” ends of the tiles are open for play, these installations allow dominoes to be connected cross-ways or vertically, producing open ends that are 5 or 6 on one side and 4 or 5 on the other.
Hevesh is also careful to avoid connecting a tile with a long side that’s on a diagonal to another tile, as the “open” end of the tile could be occupied by an opponent’s tile. She makes sure to include a “short” (or vertical) “L” in her layout when assembling the tiles, to avoid this problem.
She also takes care to make sure that the tiles in each section of the design have a smooth surface, so that when they fall they don’t scratch or damage the surfaces underneath them. She uses a variety of materials, including metal, wood, plastic and glass, to create her installations.
She also takes the time to consider how her installation will look from different angles, allowing the dominoes to fall in an interesting and eye-catching way. This attention to detail is a great testament to her commitment to the craft of dominoes. She’s a great example of how a small, seemingly mundane game can be turned into an artform that will attract the attention of both amateur and professional designers.