Christine Borland, Nephilla Mania
As a part of her FWM residency, artist Christine Borland created a sculpture,
Bullet Proof Breath, and a related video installation entitled
Nephilla Mania (2001). Bullet Proof Breath is made of spider's
silk wrapped onto a glass bronchial tree. Spider's silk —
a seemingly delicate material — actually has a greater
tensile strength than any other natural or man made material. This piece was
inspired by scientific research investigating spider's silk as a possible
material for bullet proof vests.
Nephilla Mania is a two-part video installation showing the silk being
harvested from the spider, accompanied by Tarantella music. This Italian folk
music got its name from the tarantula, whose bite was supposed to cause a
dancing mania, wherein the infected victims would die if they stopped dancing.
The clip featured on this site comes from an educational video about this
project produced by the FWM. The entire video is available for viewing at
The Fabric Workshop and Museum, or may be borrowed for educational purposes.
Contact us at
info@fabricworkshopandmuseum.org
for more information.
Christine Borland was born in Darvel, Ayrshire, Scotland in 1965, and received
her education at the University of Ulster, Belfast and the Glasgow School of Art.
She has been included in exhibitions such as the Aperto at the Venice Biennale,
at the ICA London, De Appel Foundation in Amsterdam and a 2002 exhibition at
York University in Toronto which traveled to the Contemporary Art Museum in
Houston. Additionally, she has completed commissions for the Henry Moore Sculpture
trust in Leeds, England, and was a 1997 Turner Prize nominee.
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