Each of the converging nodes within Algo-r(h)i(y)thms refers to the different reverberation frequencies of micro- and macroscopic phenomena. Of the 3.4 kilometers of 1-2.5 millimeter black cord arranged in complex clusters, a 25 centimeter diameter net, 58-178 Hz (Argiope keyserlingi Courtship / Emitted Frequency), borrows its name from the peak frequencies of courtship signals produced by an orb weaving spider. Nets with broader diameters draw upon the vibrational rates of more monumental matter, such as the 140 centimeter diameter net 0.61 GHz (RXCJ2003.5-2323 / Radio Halo)—a halo generated by ultrarelativistic electrons surrounding this distant galaxy cloud.

A first iteration of the work under the title Galaxies Forming along Filaments, like Droplets along the Strands of a Spider’s Web was presented in 2009 during the 53rd Biennale di Venezia, Fare Mondi – Making Worlds, Venezia, Italy, curated by Daniel Birnbaum. Bruno Latour described it as, “a potent attempt at shaping today’s political ecology—by extending former natural forces to address the human political problem of forming livable communities.” In 2018, the work was sonified as Algo-r(h)i(y)thms, conceived for the artist’s major solo exhibition, “ON AIR” a carte Blanche à Tomás Saraceno, curated by Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris. This third iteration was an invitation to play the web as a spider might, gently touching, sliding and stridulating within a system of amplified strings: a proposal of practices of attunement to non-human worlds in the context of the Sixth Mass Extinction.

The vibrating world of spiders can be further explored at Arachnophilia.net, a living archive of coexistences developed by Studio Tomás Saraceno and the Arachnophilia team, and through the Arachnomancy App.