Instinct
Antique schoolhouse window, monofilament, 24K gold leaf
Have
you
ever observed a spider weaving a web? One afternoon a gorgeous
2-inch spider
with a spectacular golden brown body created a massive web
outside my dining room window. It was intriguing to have
the opportunity to get a front row center view of this phenomenal
creature at work. It spun non-stop, without skipping a beat for a few
hours. Over the next few days, the spider
walked back and forth checking for food until the web disintegrated --
then it simply walked away. No ounce of remorse that the great work of
art was destroyed.
The
sunset glistened in the background creating a breathtaking work of art
for me to enjoy for a fleeting moment. How can something that is purely
functional be so beautiful, complex and delicate? I did some research
and discovered that spiders use seven different types of
silk to spin their webs, each type different in thickness, stickiness
and strength. They instinctively know the optimal location to build their
webs bearing in mind factors such as wind and predators.
I wanted to weave my web using the same steps a spider would. Let's just say mine took a bit longer than a few hours.