Giant Webs of Packing Tape

Viennese/Croation art collective For Use/Numen has used nothing but packing tape to install gigantic spider webs inside Odeon, an abondoned stock exchange building in Vienna. This particular installation took over 117 000 feet of tape – a whopping 100 pounds. The cocoons are even sturdy enough for you to crawl inside! More shots after the jump!

Life Without the Web

Cartoonist James Sturm, concerned that the internet is taking over his life, is going to go without it entirely for the next four months. Not only that, but he plans to blog about it for Slate via fax and phone (the irony, I’m sure, is not lost on him):

About a month ago, I started seriously thinking about going offline for an extended period of time. I weighed the pros and cons, and the pros came out on top. Yes, I want to be more present when I am around my kids and not be constantly jonesing to check my e-mail. But I also need to carve out some space for myself to make new work. Two years ago, I was a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, a retreat for artists, writers, composers, and other creative types. Although the main lodge was wired, the studios were not, and for three weeks I worked on Market Day, a graphic novel, without any intrusions. (Lunch was dropped off by my door in a basket.) I realize that I can’t replicate that ideal setting for sustained focus in my daily life, but I can certainly improve my current situation.

The responses he got from people (“You’re forcing people to bend over backwards to accomodate you.”, “You’re being selfish.” etc.) sound an awful lot like the ones I got when I tried to get rid of my mobile.

I’m Quitting the Internet. Will I Be LIberated or Left Behind? [Slate]