Kingdom of the Spiders
September 4, 2008 10:50 AM Subscribe
La Machine - the troop who brought The Sultan's Elephant to London (previously) - are at it again. This time, it's a gigantic, mechanical spider in Liverpool. YouTube. flickr.
The little girl on The Sultan's Elephant was one of the coolest things I've seen in large-scale art. Makes the Rose Bowl floats look lame in comparison.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:19 AM on September 4, 2008
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:19 AM on September 4, 2008
I hate these people so much.
Why? Because I'm so jealous I can barely stand up (bursts into tears).
posted by aramaic at 11:28 AM on September 4, 2008
Why? Because I'm so jealous I can barely stand up (bursts into tears).
posted by aramaic at 11:28 AM on September 4, 2008
Heeeeeeelp meeeeeeeeeeee.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:38 AM on September 4, 2008
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:38 AM on September 4, 2008
And here I was, expecting a YouTube of how many babies you could fit into a Volkswagen.
posted by not_on_display at 11:47 AM on September 4, 2008
posted by not_on_display at 11:47 AM on September 4, 2008
I was just thinking about these guys! I'm so glad to see something new. I only wish I could see it live instead of on YouTube.
posted by Kloryne at 12:15 PM on September 4, 2008
posted by Kloryne at 12:15 PM on September 4, 2008
Meh. I got off the Virgin Pendolino from London at about 10.00pm last night, and as I came out of Lime Street Station, there's a small crowd gawking and taking photograps of this banal, spotlit spider, stuck to the side of a building.
Unless that damn thing rampages through the city centre, trampling our bagheads and raping our scallies, I'm going to remain unimpressed.
The world's biggest LED screen on the other side of the road, in contrast, was a glorious site to behold. Advertisements that were bigger and sharper than an IMAX cinema screen!
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:31 PM on September 4, 2008
Unless that damn thing rampages through the city centre, trampling our bagheads and raping our scallies, I'm going to remain unimpressed.
The world's biggest LED screen on the other side of the road, in contrast, was a glorious site to behold. Advertisements that were bigger and sharper than an IMAX cinema screen!
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:31 PM on September 4, 2008
Alternatively, a whole infestation of them, rampaging through the city centre shops might also be cool.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:34 PM on September 4, 2008
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:34 PM on September 4, 2008
Whoa, that is one scary-gnarly spider. Wish I could see it moving.
Had to get a mechanical spider moving fix.
posted by nickyskye at 12:36 PM on September 4, 2008
Had to get a mechanical spider moving fix.
posted by nickyskye at 12:36 PM on September 4, 2008
Best use of the "ohmygodthatsafuckingenormousspider" tag ever.
posted by m0nm0n at 12:46 PM on September 4, 2008
posted by m0nm0n at 12:46 PM on September 4, 2008
Gonna be some freaked out Scouse clubbers. A giant spider on the side of an office building at 1 in the morning - eek!
posted by Happy Dave at 12:59 PM on September 4, 2008
posted by Happy Dave at 12:59 PM on September 4, 2008
nickyskye - all you have to do is click your heels 3 times and say "Selleck, Selleck!"
posted by adamms222 at 1:00 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by adamms222 at 1:00 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]
Somewhere, Jon Peters is smiling.
For those who find the video tl;dw, a summary appears in the Superman Lives section of Jon Peters' wikipedia page
posted by mhum at 1:20 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]
For those who find the video tl;dw, a summary appears in the Superman Lives section of Jon Peters' wikipedia page
posted by mhum at 1:20 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]
Bah! I was going to use this as my first proper post, and some one has got there instead. I have particularly disliked most of the Capital of Culture appropriation of stuff that occurs generally in Liverpool, but this has made me really excited. I'm off into town tomorrow to watch it wake up and do stuff.
I'm also glad that there is some kind of crazy back story involved that is basically rubbish, but that people are allowing themselves to accept as fact. This video explains further.
posted by djstig at 2:09 PM on September 4, 2008
I'm also glad that there is some kind of crazy back story involved that is basically rubbish, but that people are allowing themselves to accept as fact. This video explains further.
posted by djstig at 2:09 PM on September 4, 2008
Sorry to steal your thunder djstig. If it's any consolation, I'm extraordinarily jealous that you're going to get to see this thing in action.
posted by MrMustard at 2:38 PM on September 4, 2008
posted by MrMustard at 2:38 PM on September 4, 2008
Unless that damn thing rampages through the city centre
Did you look carefully at that thing? There's enough hardware run though that things that I will be surprised if it doesn't at least do that.
And here I was looking at this and this for my inspiration for this year's addition to the Halloween decor.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 3:31 PM on September 4, 2008
Did you look carefully at that thing? There's enough hardware run though that things that I will be surprised if it doesn't at least do that.
And here I was looking at this and this for my inspiration for this year's addition to the Halloween decor.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 3:31 PM on September 4, 2008
Holy shit!
posted by turgid dahlia at 3:32 PM on September 4, 2008
posted by turgid dahlia at 3:32 PM on September 4, 2008
Did you look carefully at that thing?
Actually, I didn't. Given how awesome the elephant was, I just felt short-changed, thinking we'd just got a boring decoration on the side of a building. And as everything else about the Capital of Culture thing has been shit, I naturally assumed that this would be shit too.
Since then, my kids assure me that it can not only rampage on the streets, but it can also climb buildings as well. I don't know how they know this. One daughter believes it may even lay eggs and have babies.
Perhaps I'll go take a look tomorrow as well. I'll be the aging scally in the Goretex Berghaus, djstig. Keep your eyes out for me -- though I'm not sure how you'll pick me out from the thousands of other aging scals wearing Berghaus.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 3:55 PM on September 4, 2008
Actually, I didn't. Given how awesome the elephant was, I just felt short-changed, thinking we'd just got a boring decoration on the side of a building. And as everything else about the Capital of Culture thing has been shit, I naturally assumed that this would be shit too.
Since then, my kids assure me that it can not only rampage on the streets, but it can also climb buildings as well. I don't know how they know this. One daughter believes it may even lay eggs and have babies.
Perhaps I'll go take a look tomorrow as well. I'll be the aging scally in the Goretex Berghaus, djstig. Keep your eyes out for me -- though I'm not sure how you'll pick me out from the thousands of other aging scals wearing Berghaus.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 3:55 PM on September 4, 2008
It's not as good as our elephant was.
posted by ciderwoman at 4:29 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by ciderwoman at 4:29 PM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]
I wish this post would have been after it wakes up so that I wouldn't have to remember to go back and watch videos, and so people didn't have the opportunity to snark before everything happened.
posted by Phantomx at 5:16 PM on September 4, 2008
posted by Phantomx at 5:16 PM on September 4, 2008
During phase II of the installation, La Machine will begin feeding on squatters in the abandoned building it is climbing.
I'd like to merge the stuff these guys are doing with Survival Research Labs.
posted by mecran01 at 9:20 PM on September 4, 2008
I'd like to merge the stuff these guys are doing with Survival Research Labs.
posted by mecran01 at 9:20 PM on September 4, 2008
It's not as good as our elephant was.
Though to be pedantic, the elephant was actually from Nantes, where the show was first performed, not made specifically for London.
posted by Phanx at 1:38 AM on September 5, 2008
Though to be pedantic, the elephant was actually from Nantes, where the show was first performed, not made specifically for London.
posted by Phanx at 1:38 AM on September 5, 2008
It's not as good as our elephant was.
Madness! Giant spider is totally better than giant elephant! I mean, ALL elephants are pretty big, so you just happened to get a SLIGHTLY more big one trundling around your poxy little suburb. Now a giant Spider? There's something special for you! Standing giant over all her teeny tiny spider friends, standing giant over all her average sized enemies, standing giant over your elephant.
Spider wins my friend, spider wins.
posted by emperor.seamus at 1:45 AM on September 5, 2008
Madness! Giant spider is totally better than giant elephant! I mean, ALL elephants are pretty big, so you just happened to get a SLIGHTLY more big one trundling around your poxy little suburb. Now a giant Spider? There's something special for you! Standing giant over all her teeny tiny spider friends, standing giant over all her average sized enemies, standing giant over your elephant.
Spider wins my friend, spider wins.
posted by emperor.seamus at 1:45 AM on September 5, 2008
Now if we can just get Will Smith and a film crew to London, we could have a sequel on our hands. Wild, Wild West End, anyone?
posted by notashroom at 9:29 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by notashroom at 9:29 AM on September 5, 2008 [1 favorite]
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