Artist Christopher Locke's spider sculptures are a series of sculptures made completely from reclaimed scissors confiscated from airplanes by the Transportation Security Administration. Based out of Austin, Texas, Locke attended an auction held by the administration and purchased a box of 300 scissors. He then hit the jackpot when he found a state surplus store that sells used office equipment, in addition to confiscated materials from the security administration.
Not only are the shape of scissors appropriate for making eight-legged creatures, but the connotation that goes along with confiscating scissors inspired the series.
"Obviously, someone out there felt very threatened by [scissors], even if one could make the rational argument that they posed zero threat," Locke said. "At the same time, a lot of people have this irrational fear and hatred of spiders. They see a spider in their house, and they kill it. One could argue that the spider is actually beneficial to your house, as they control the population of other pests, and pose little or no risk to humans. It won't help. People still hate and fear spiders. I think the irrational fear of spiders is very similar to the irrational fear of cuticle scissors, and that's where the connection occurs."
To make the spiders, Locke deconstructs the shears, then pieces them back together with heat, bending and welding until a spider is built.
Locke said he takes great care with each spider. Not only are they his art, but in a way, the spiders become sort of like pets to him.
"Some people think it's really strange, but I like to treat them as if they were alive and have feelings. It really feels like they tell me what they want to look like, and I just help them get there," Locke said. "I like to think that if these spiders ever came to life and started some kind of scissor spider uprising, that they may show some mercy on me because I have treated them with respect."
Click through below for a pictures of Christopher Locke's Scissor Spiders:
