The Long Family (2015)

In recent years I have increasingly noticed the daddy long leg spiders that live within my home. United by a domestic context this intimate cohabitation has presented an opportunity to reconsider my own existence in relation to other non-human lives lived in parallel to mine. Reflecting on observations, encounters and interactions, home has become defined as much by the spiders’ presence as my own.

In this particular instance I have chosen to represent these spiders by emphasising their spindly, drawn-out appearance and increasing their scale to mirror a more human size – a formal inference of an equality of sorts from an ecological perspective. While grouping them together alludes appropriately to a sense of community as daddy long legs frequently live peacefully in groups, a rarity in the arachnid world. Bright colours and pattern add a light hearted dimension – a playfulness that belies their role as efficient predators. This Cirque du Soleil-like exuberance is appropriate, complimenting them on their acrobatic skills when traversing near invisible stands of silk.

Painted steel. Dimensions variable.
'The Long Family' by Dean Chatwin'The Long Family' by Dean Chatwin'The Long Family' by Dean Chatwin