Charming Chiming Spider is a towering, whimsical installation that merges playful nostalgia with the quiet music of the natural world. Suspended 12 feet in the air, this 15-foot diameter wooden spider hovers delicately above the ground, supported by eight 10-foot tall wooden legs. The sculpture invites visitors to step beneath and experience a canopy of sound, light, and memory.

From the Spider’s body and its support poles, 42 wooden chimes crafted from juniper trees—harvested from the artist's yard and the surrounding national forest—sway gently in the breeze. These handmade chimes create a soft, organic soundscape that shifts with the elements, inviting moments of pause and listening. Solar-powered lights interwoven among the chimes bring the Spider to life at night, casting shimmering patterns of light and shadow.

A metal downspout, attached to one of the legs, bears the engraved words of the beloved nursery rhyme “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” subtly anchoring the installation to shared childhood memories and folklore. The rest of the structure is built using locally sourced lumber from Olguin’s, a family-owned lumberyard in Taos, grounding the piece in the materials and community of Northern New Mexico.

About the artist: Since arriving in New Mexico in 2000, David Vargo has immersed himself in community, creativity, and craft. His journey began at the Lama Foundation, where he spent six years living in an intentional community, fostering a deep connection to hands-on work and collaborative living. This period ignited a passion for baking, leading to the creation of Fun Bun Bakery, a beloved small business that served the Taos and Los Alamos areas for over seven years.

After stepping away from the daily grind of bakery life, David turned his focus to artistic pursuits, exploring painting and woodworking as vital forms of personal expression. His yard and home have become living canvases, adorned with colorful wood sculptures, hand-painted murals, and whimsical installations that reflect his playful spirit and love of working with natural materials.

The Covid-19 pandemic became a catalyst for deeper artistic exploration, giving him the space to transform his home into an ever-evolving art project. His large-scale works have since found homes beyond his own yard, with installations at Burning Man in 2022 and 2023, including the first iteration of the Charming Chiming Spider, a kinetic sculpture that fuses sound, light, and motion. In 2024, he painted a large mural for Burning Man’s Center Camp and brought the Spider to the Questa Studio Tour.

For the 2025 PASEO Project, David Vargo is bringing the Charming Chiming Spider to Taos, inviting the community to experience its gentle music, hand-crafted beauty, and the joyful interplay of art and nature.