Golden orb-weaver spider silk violin recital

Explore the acoustic properties of spider silk and hear from design engineer, Luca Alessandrini who created a spider silk violin prototype.

Alessandrini experimented with a patented technology to customise the acoustic properties of a material. He created two violins using silk - a natural material with high acoustic performance properties. One of the violins consists of three Australian Golden orb-weaver spider silk strands that are each thirty-five centimetres long. The spider silk is five times stronger than steel and extremely elastic. When tested the violin revealed a notable improvement in sound quality.

The remarkable strength and acoustic properties of silk continue to be explored in Alessandrini’s research and may have implications for the built environment.

Come to a one-off performance from violinist, Henry Chandler, who will be swapping his 18th century Camillo Camilli with the spider silk violin. Chandler has played with numerous orchestras and conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Leif Segerstam, Sir Roger Norrington and Daniel Harding.

The recital is part of the SuperMaterial event series, curated by The Built Environment Trust. The event programme is kindly supported by Trimo.