for rolls-royce, tomás saraceno weaves ethereal 'floating galaxies' with spiders

throughout his practice, and particularly prevalent in his recent artistic investigations, tomás saraceno works closely with a unique class of collaborators: spiders. from march 7-17, 2019, the house of rolls-royce is debuting a new project by the argentine artist at the 2019 geneva motor show, which sees saraceno create an artwork with a spider. entitled ‘hybrid dark solitary semi-social cluster BD–15 3966 built by: a duet of nephila edulis – six weeks, a quintet of cyrtophora citricola -eight weeks, rotated 180’, the piece is woven by both social and semi-social spiders, and results in an ethereal installation that appears as a floating galaxy.

hybrid dark solitary semi-social cluster BD–15 3966
built by: a duet of nephila edulis — six weeks, a quintet of cyrtophora citricola — eight weeks, rotated 180, 2018
spidersilk, carbon fibre, metal, ink acrylic
all images © studio tomás saraceno, 2018, courtesy the artist; andersen’s, copenhagen; ruth benzacar, buenos aires; tanya bonakdar gallery, new york/los angeles; pinksummer contemporary art, genoa; esther schipper, berlin

saraceno is the latest collaborator in the rolls-royce art programme, which has supported a number of high profile artists in recent years — including isaac julien, asad raza, dan holdsworth and yang fudong. rolls-royce’s commitment to creative expression, exploration of technical and conceptual boundaries, and willingness to take time in the search for quality and meaning links it closely to the world of art. the rolls-royce art programme also served as benefactor for saraceno’s recent solo exhibition, ‘on air’, at palais de tokyo, paris, in 2018.

hybrid dark solitary semi-social cluster BD–15 3966
built by: a duet of nephila edulis — six weeks, a quintet of cyrtophora citricola — eight weeks, rotated 180, 2018
spidersilk, carbon fibre, metal, ink acrylic 

for this collaboration, saraceno references his ‘hybrid web’ series — spider-made sculptures formed of complex woven networks suspended in mid-air. the webs’ unique architectures originate from interspecific encounters between solitary, social and semi-social spider species: as different spiders from different species weave within the same space, they bridge the architectures of each other’s webs.

hybrid dark solitary semi-social cluster BD–15 3966
built by: a duet of nephila edulis — six weeks, a quintet of cyrtophora citricola — eight weeks, rotated 180, 2018
spidersilk, carbon fibre, metal, ink acrylic (detail)

as a result, each installation tells a story of composite relationships between, not only different arachnid webbed ecosystems, but also humans and the wider environment. the ‘floating galaxies’ made of different silk and web types collide, challenging gravity and fostering the emergence of new kinds of vibrational environments. sensory worlds and lines of communication merge and connect, the web being considered an extension of the spider’s sensorial and cognitive systems.

hybrid dark solitary semi-social cluster BD–15 3966
built by: a duet of nephila edulis — six weeks, a quintet of cyrtophora citricola — eight weeks, rotated 180, 2018
spidersilk, carbon fibre, metal, ink acrylic (detail)

following the geneva international motor show, the artwork will reside permanently at the home of rolls-royce in goodwood, west sussex, from march 28, 2019.

hybrid dark solitary semi-social cluster BD–15 3966
built by: a duet of nephila edulis — six weeks, a quintet of cyrtophora citricola — eight weeks, rotated 180, 2018
spidersilk, carbon fibre, metal, ink acrylic (detail)

alongside the preview of saraceno’s new artwork, rolls-royce debuts its full current product portfolio for the first time on an international stage at the geneva motor show. representing the near-infinite bespoke possibilities at the heart of its success in 2018, the marque will present one of an extraordinary collection of 25 phantoms alongside the first publicly-revealed bespoke cullinan commission. furthermore, two powerful visions of black badge and a highly bespoke dawn will be revealed, each informed by the taste patterns of a younger, more assertive breed of entrepreneur drawn to the brand. 

see images of the cars in the gallery at the bottom of the page.

portrait of tomás saraceno © alfred weidinger, 2015

about the rolls-royce art programme

since its inception in 2014, the rolls-royce art programme has consolidated the bridge between rolls-royce patrons and the world of contemporary art. its founding principle was informed by an awareness that rolls-royce motor cars transcend a cultural barrier where they are not only commissioned as a means of conveyance, but as an expression of patrons’ artistic taste. the art programme has played an important role in nurturing new artworks and fostering creativity. inspired by the attributes of the rolls-royce marque, artists are given the time, freedom and resource to create unique creative statements which take us somewhere new, beyond the possible to the imaginable. in a move that demonstrates the marque’s commitment to contemporary patronage, a series of commissions by extraordinary artists have been bought into the public domain. 

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