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A giant spider made out of guadua (bamboo genus) covers with its eight legs what used to be an abandoned pool. “Resident Spider 13” is the name of this ecological architecture project that took place at the Residencia en la Tierra between December 14-18, 2009. Coincidentally, thirteen people were involved in the construction, including nine residents from different areas and professions. The structure was born from an idea by the artist and architect Santiago Escobar —inspired by the spiders created by French artist Louise Bourgeois for public spaces in several cities around the world like Sao Paulo and London— and from a design by the also architect, Mauro Vargas. The architect Simón Vélez, the world’s foremost authority on guadua structures, acted as a consultant for the project.
The construction of the spider was overseen by an experienced building worker as well as by Pablo Atehortúa, who has worked for Simón Velez as his construction foreman for more than 30 years. Both were invaluable guides in the training of the residents who lacked experience in the arduous task of translating an idea and a drawing into reality, while at the same time, working with a highly flexible and stable material. The construction was made possible thanks to an exhaustive teamwork, were everyone carried guadua trunks, sawed, opened tracks with machetes and spades, built ladders, perched on improvised scaffolds, constructing the spider leg by leg.
The spider generated controversy about the connection and boundaries between art and architecture: Is it simply a sculpture whose function is limited to its existence and its harmony with the landscape, or is it a practical structure intended to serve as a comfortable work setting? Even though there is a cubicle within the spider with guadua-weave walls, used as a studio for the residents, it is also a sculptural work of art worthy of contemplation for the way it interacts with the surrounding landscape.
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