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- Saoirse Anderson
Saoirse
Anderson
Arachne
My art is inspired by and based on the idea of the balance between life and death, which a spider’s web symbolizes. The tent-shaped spiders of the genus Cyrtophora is the inspiration for my artwork.Spiders are the ideal representation of dualism in the physical world because they convey the strength of manifestation and creativity that is balanced by destruction. Due to its method of hunting, which involves weaving webs and waiting for prey to become entangled in them, the spider has come to represent patience and perseverance. I picked knitting and crocheting as my mediums because many cultures trace the invention of spinning, textile weaving, basket weaving, knotwork, and net creation to the spider’s ability to spin web.
The title for my piece comes from the myth of Arachne. Arachne was a weaver who dared to challenge Athena because she had become so skilled at what she did. The gods are shown in majesty in an artwork by Athena, while their romantic exploits are depicted in an artwork by Arachne. The perfection of her rival’s work infuriated Athena, who destroyed it. Desperate, Arachne then hanged herself. But the goddess out of pity loosened the rope, which became a cobweb and Arachne herself was changed into a spider