“Oralia”, from the Latin, meaning Golden, is based on a Golden Orb Spider, which anyone living in the far North has probably seen in their back yard or forest walk at some point. Golden Orb’s weave a beautiful golden web and are renowned for repairing it and also hosting many very tiny male Orbs who wait for a mating opportunity. These spiders have been known to trap small birds or bats in their wheel shaped webs and feed off them. The work was inspired by the spectacular beauty of the Golden Orb and the native fauna and flora brief that was given by the Thuringowa City Council at the time the work was produced.
The Sculpture is installed at Pioneer Park in Townsville along side the new Riverway Development. This location was formally used for the annual Thuringowa River Festival for several years, at one of the festivals a visiting fibers and fabrics artist created an ephemeral web for Oralia that lasted for nearly 18 months! I think she enjoyed having a bigger web for a while. She receives a great deal of support from the local community and the park for several years before the redevelopment the park was known as “Spider Park”.
Photography by Amanda and Charlie Feher.
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