Rope is everywhere. Humans have been using this simple tool for thousands of years, and whether you’re sailing across the ocean or just tying your shoes, you can’t get far without some form of rope.

When imagiNATIONS opens at the museum in New York City next year, grass cable used to build the Q'eswachaka Bridge on the Inka Road and a length of steel suspender rope from the Bayonne Bridge will ...