A new exhibition that explores a hidden underground world overseen by giant prehistoric spiders and includes collaborations with best-selling author Neil Gaiman, has crawled its way into the Museum of the Great Southern.
The Sixteen Legs travelling exhibition is based around the environmental and cultural significance of Australia’s deepest caves and the still-living 200-million-year-old Tasmanian Cave Spiders hidden within them.
Museum of the Great Southern Regional Manager Catherine Salmaggi said Sixteen Legs is a mix of art and science, highlighting the environmental and cultural significance of Australia's deepest caves and their inhabitants.
“This exhibition is sure to be something that the people of Albany have never seen before and we are extremely excited to have it here at the museum,” she said.
“Sixteen Legs delivers science, education and the environment, telling a tale that celebrates the fun and wonder of the world that preceded us and may still outlast us.”
The free multi-media exhibition features photography, dark-fantasy digital artworks and a visual fairy tale by Queensland artist Jodee Taylah and international best-selling author Neil Gaiman.
A large-scale resin and fibre-glass sculpture, and community artwork, are all overseen by two giant prehistoric spider replicas with 18-foot leg-spans and a giant spider egg-sac.
Sixteen Legs at the Museum of the Great Southern
Image copyright WA Museum
Bookend Trust Director Dr. Niall Doran said Sixteen Legs was produced to tell a previously unknown story of incredible survival to the world in the form of a journey, and in a global context.
“It was also important to tell it in an innovative and fresh way, to draw in viewers beyond those that are typically already fans of natural history,” Dr. Doran said.
“At a time when science, education and the environment are often caught in the political cross-hairs, we feel it is significant to bring to the world a tale that celebrates the fun and wonder of the world that preceded us and may still outlast us.”
This exhibition is produced by the Bookend Trust’s ‘Out of the Wilderness’ project, with tour assistance from the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.
Sixteen Legs is a free exhibition and will be on display at the Museum of the Great Southern from Sunday 1 July to Sunday 15 October 2023.
