Gallery: Human-Scale Spider Web Made f...

Design team Numen/For Use transformed 700 rolls of clear packing tape into an incredible human-size inhabitable spider web at DMY Belin 2010. The weaving took place over four consecutive days inside of the Tempelhof former airport. 49,213 yards (45 km) of tape wrapped around constructed scaffolding posts allowed visitors to experience the installation by crawling around inside.

This is the 5th Tape Installation exhibited by Numen/For Use, and it is the only time a scaffolding construction support had to be constructed due to location restrictions. The installation took approximately 160 hours and was erected by six workers. Previous installations used up to 1000 rolls of tape costing approximately $620 US dollars (500 Euro) and were woven around structural components that already existed on site.

The cocoon shape is realized through the design concept of dance performance. As dancers weave in, out, and around existing pillars, a trail of tape records the history of each dancer’s step. The entangled surfaces present a unique relationship between man-made materials and natural organisms inside an environment which encourages the visitor to engage with spatially. The mechanical and chemical construction qualities of tape combined with the amorphous nature of the organic structure unwinds a special narrative that is a beautiful showcase of bio-mimicry.

+ Numen/For Use

Via Dezeen