Comments on Kitchen and Residential Design: Of spiders and silk, of silk and textiles

I actually moved to Florida a few weeks ago, and f...

2011-09-22T16:56:30.791-04:00

I actually moved to Florida a few weeks ago, and found this spider sitting outside of my CVS in a 6 foot tall web. Really crazy looking to my New Jersey-dimmed view of wildlife.

Yellow Silk Spiders are common all over Florida. T...

2010-07-20T23:48:04.576-04:00

Yellow Silk Spiders are common all over Florida. They are harmless to humans and they eat many, many insects. They are beautiful creatures and one of the many things that make me happy to be a Floridian.

I think I have one in my backyard in Lakeland Fl. ...

2010-07-20T12:56:22.927-04:00

I think I have one in my backyard in Lakeland Fl. My husband is very fearful of spiders and wants it gone. I am not sure what to do.

Thanks Paula and welcome to K&RD!

2010-01-05T12:03:11.234-05:00

Thanks Paula and welcome to K&RD!

Wow, that is amazing!

2010-01-05T11:23:01.320-05:00

Wow, that is amazing!

My mind has been reeling for a week, I need to kno...

2009-09-26T10:23:53.666-04:00

My mind has been reeling for a week, I need to know more about this!

The process of milking the spiders for their silk ...

2009-09-26T10:00:09.728-04:00

The process of milking the spiders for their silk really intrigues me... The idea of putting a harnass on one (wonder what it looks like) and getting them to release all their product --in fact a bunch of them at once-- paints an interesting picture in my head (akin to hurding cats!).

I think the color amazes me as much as the process...

2009-09-25T21:21:12.847-04:00

I think the color amazes me as much as the process or any other single aspect of this thing. I wish I were in New York this week rather than two weeks ago. Oh well, I guess I have to go back. Damn.

They are stunning aren't they. That goldenrod-...

2009-09-25T21:18:55.279-04:00

They are stunning aren't they. That goldenrod-colored silk is as unexpected as it is beautiful. Can you believe that those spiders can actually change the intensity of that color to match their surroundings? In a dark hollow, the silk is brighter, and in full sun it's a less intense color. They are amazing creatures.

I too saw this story and what I think is absolutel...

2009-09-25T21:17:19.819-04:00

I too saw this story and what I think is absolutely amazing is the natural color -- it is such an amazing shade of yellow, and one that was dictated by nature, not humans.

I can't even imagine what that fabric must fee...

2009-09-25T20:51:51.418-04:00

I can't even imagine what that fabric must feel like. I visited my brother one time in Dothan Alabama and we went exploring in a nearby swamp. The sun was going down and we came upon probably a hundred banana spiders in a stand of trees, each with a large web. The sunlight filtered through the webs and it was just stunning. That was in my pre-photography days, unfortuntely.

I'm glad to see that my imagination's not ...

2009-09-25T12:24:31.758-04:00

I'm glad to see that my imagination's not the only one that's been lit up by this unveiling. I would love to see that harness set up almost as much as I want to fly to New York this weekend to see the finished product. One of the many fascinating aspects to this is that the raw material production requires the cooperation of a living (and large) spider. Silkworm silk requires the death of a caterpillar, but spider silk is a living resource that has to be kept alive and happy. That alone has had me musing for days. If you read around about Peers' life work, he's committed to preserving Malagasy weaving and more importantly, involving the Malagasy people in this renaissance. What a story!

Thanks for more information and photos and video, ...

2009-09-25T12:05:44.379-04:00

Thanks for more information and photos and video, Paul. It's garden spider time in Portland, ("shamed to admit I don't know the species). Walking through the garden requires either a vigilant march with a broom
or the slower tai-chi arm movement to ward off webs.

What I love most about this new textile, other than that it now exists, is how many questions it raises.
What do Golden Orb spiders eat- other than each other?
What does a "Harness" for a spider look like?
Will this help revive Madagascar textile arts?

The textile is high Craft by its making, but high Art by the number of questions it raises to think about.