Spiders to Weave a Web of Art at Helsinki Festival

HELSINKI, Finland, August 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Helsinki Festival, the largest arts festival in Finland has this year enlisted the help of the nation's spiders. The 2012 Festival is bringing Tomás Saraceno, one of the hottest names on the current international art  scene, to the Finnish capital.

Saraceno's enormous 3D works are based on a variety of spider webs. The exhibition takes its starting point from the idea that the light yet strong threads and tough knots that form a web can be used to explain the structure of the universe itself.

For Helsinki Festival, Saraceno has created a brand new work, involving live spiders and their webs. This one-of-a-kind exhibition brings together spider webs from around the world, computer models of actual webs and a range of documentary materials. Finnish spiders will also be making a contribution to the installation. Finnish spider specialists are also taking part.

In addition to his brand new installation, the exhibition includes Saraceno's gigantic take on a black widow's web, made of rope and comprising a total of 23,000 knots. Visitors can enter the installation, titled 14 Billions, spanning an entire room, and experience the world from the spider's perspective. The installation has been only previously seen at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead and the Bonniers Konsthall in Stockholm in 2010.

The exhibition is a unique journey into the world of spiders and the origin of our universe. Art meets science and nature meets utopia in this inspiring and unforgettable installation.

For the exhibition, Helsinki Festival has joined forces with Kunsthalle Helsinki and the Tomás Saraceno Studio. It is also part of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 programme.

Finland's largest festival of its kind, the Helsinki Festival  will again see hundreds of events and performances unfold across the capital city in late summer. The genres showcased at the festival comprise classical music, dance, theatre and circus as well as contemporary art. The Huvila Festival Tent  serves as the venue for 17 exciting concerts spanning pop, jazz and world music.

This year's Helsinki Festival takes place 17 August to 2 September in venues across the city. To view the full programme, visit http://www.helsinkifestival.fi

Tomás Saraceno at Kunsthalle Helsinki 18 August to 3 October 2012

For further information, please contact: Sini Koskimies, Senior Press Officer, tel: +358-50-358-2440, [email protected]

SOURCE Helsinki Festival