The new “way of seeing” championed by the likes of Saraceno also has a more immediate virtue, beyond the abstract imperatives of logic and morality. Insight, more often than not, can be gained with just a slight shift in perspective. That’s what artist Tomas Saraceno seems to be advocating, and he has managed to get — at least for some months — the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam to go along. For the last three months, the museum — which houses works from such greats as Rembrandt and Vermeer — will place on the same pedestal as human artists the creative endeavours of creepy crawlies. At Saraceno’s request, no spider webs have been cleaned up by the custodial staff and the curators are looking at natural spun thread as works of art. Saraceno’s own work uses the threads spun by four different species of spiders.
The principle behind Saraceno’s work is a simple one: Human beings are the invasive species. Most of the invertebrates people treat as pests have occupied the spaces now filled with homes, offices and museums long before they were built. Both logically and morally, then, the least people can do is share space with the “creepy crawlies”. Copernicus — and later Galileo — made sure that the way human beings saw their place in the universe was forever altered. Perhaps, by not stepping on insects and trying instead to see them as creative beings, another new perspective is possible.
The new “way of seeing” championed by the likes of Saraceno also has a more immediate virtue, beyond the abstract imperatives of logic and morality. Before the microscope, insects and invertebrates — so different in form from mammals — were objects of fear and disgust, associated with evil and the occult. But over the centuries, as science has made it possible to view the intricacies of their bodies, creations and interactions, it has become much easier to appreciate the spider’s artistry. And, as a bonus, every home can host an exhibition with just a little laziness about cleanliness.