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Golden spider silk tapestry is worth half a million dollars
I don’t have much knowledge about fabrics and their sources but I always thought that silk was made from silk worms. The latest display at the American Natural History museum in New York City has proved me wrong. Exhibited at this museum is a beautiful golden tapestry which was produced in Madagascar using the soft yet strong silk fiber of a local spider! The creators Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley spent over a half a million dollars of their own money to create this stunning silk tapestry. The beautiful golden fabric measures 11 feet by 4 feet and took four long years to complete.
The fiber for this unique tapestry was gathered from the female golden orb spider that is known for its yellow-hued webs. The giant spiders which are common in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar were gathered from telephone wires every day by a group people using long poles. The spiders were then silked and released back into the wild each day.
When you visit the museum, you can see this exquisite piece for yourself and also watch a fascinating video of the making of this tapestry. The video even includes interviews of the creators. A must see, this golden silk tapestry is expected to be on display at the museum for several months.
[Luxist]
by namrata, on October 1, 2009 - 7:00 AM in Other Stuff | Comments () -
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