TaranTula

CHRISTINA SPORRONG

TaranTula at The Paseo. Taos, NM 2015. Photo by Katherine Egli.

The idea came to me as I observed the yearly migration of hundreds of tarantulas out here in the New Mexico desert. I have always thought these arachnids were the most intriguing as they where so large, furry and moved so slow yet with ease and grace. I would often swerve whilst driving to avoid them, their bodies casting long shadows on the roadway. As spiders go they are also relatively harmless and have a steady following of enthusiasts.

TaranTula is my best interpretation of all that I find beautiful in this arthropod, as well as visualizing this sculpture in an appropriate setting. She is a 16-foot tall steel tarantula, inspired by the exoskeletal components of spiders as well as her native saguarro cactus.

TaranTula comes to life with hundreds of sound activated LED’s strung inside the legs and body that illuminate her from below and can be seen from afar. Her lights change with the sound of music making her a popular visitor at music festivals.

TaranTula now permanently resides at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Lighting up with the DJs at The Voodoo Festival, NOLA.

Photo by Karen Kuehn.