Spider Silk Scarf at V&A

A stunning golden spider silk scarf at V&A makes part of a very special display during 2012 as the one off piece, made from over a million spiders' silk, goes on display to visitor in the UK for the very first time.

Spider silk scarf at V&A
Created from the silk of Golden Orb spiders in Madagascar over a period of five years and with 80 people harvesting it, the unique silk has now been woven into an amazing piece of fabric, which is naturally gold in colour. The only large textiles in the world to have been made from such a rarely acquired substance, the scarf and an embroidered cape will no doubt make for an extremely popular exhibition at the V&A Museum.

Weaving history
Although the spider silk scarf at V&A is not the first textile garment to have been created using such a method, it is by far the largest. At four metres long the golden silk scarf is significantly bigger than any previous attempts at making items from spider silk throughout history. Despite records showing gloves made by a 17th century Frenchman, and a Spaniard who was supposed to have made stockings for the Emperor Napoleon, plus an unspecified spider silk textile created for the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, none of these examples remain.

Spider men
The creatives behind the concept of the spider silk scarf and cape are Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley, both of whom have lived and worked in Madagascar for many years. Inspired by the historical accounts of being able to spin and weave the spider silk, they began experimenting in 2004 to see if it was possible. By collecting spiders and harnessing them in silking contraptions, the trained handlers can extract the web silk from 24 spiders at a time. Given than it takes around 23,000 spiders to yield one ounce of silk, it is possible to see why the spider silk scarf at V&A has been so long in the making.

Woven art
Asides from the truly stunning textiles, also included in the spider silk exhibition are various different displays that show how the silk is woven, books that look at the historical attempts to extract the silk, and a short film which shows the spiders in action. And for those who are worried that millions of spiders may come to harm in creating the amazing garments, you can rest easy knowing that all the useful arachnids are let back out into the wild at the end of their working day.

The Golden Orb Spider silk scarf at V&A, plus the cape, go on show from Wednesday 25th January - Tuesday 5th June 2012. Entrance is free.

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