Enter the land of giant prehistoric Tasmanian spiders at Museum of the Great Southern’s 16 Legs Exhibition

Giant prehistoric spiders have taken over the Museum of the Great Southern with the installation of the Sixteen Legs exhibition. The travelling exhibit includes a collaboration with bestselling fantasy author Neil Gaiman and tells the story of the cultural and environmental significance of deep Tasmanian caves and the millions-of-years-old cave spiders that call them home. The free exhibition, which was displayed at Porongurup Hall in May last year, features two huge spider replicas with 18-foot leg spans, a giant egg sac, a large-scale resin and fibre-glass sculpture and community artwork. It also includes photography, dark-fantasy digital artworks and a ‘visual fairy tale’ created by Gaiman and Queensland artist Jodee Taylah. This exhibition is produced by the Bookend Trust’s ‘Out of the Wilderness’ project, with tour assistance from the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program. Bookend Trust Director Dr Niall Doran said Sixteen Legs was created to tell a previously unknown story of survival which he said has significance in a global context. “It was also important to tell it in an innovative and fresh way, to draw in viewers beyond those that are typically already fans of natural history,” Dr Doran said. “At a time when science, education and the environment are often caught in the political crosshairs, we feel it is significant to bring to the world a tale that celebrates the fun and wonder of the world that preceded us and may still outlast us.” The free exhibition is on display at the Museum of the Great Southern until October 15.