Amy Allcock

During a recent visit to Ottawa I was surprised to find the giant spider sculpture, Maman, outside of the National Gallery. Being an arachnophobe I wasn’t very pleased to see one of my greatest fears massively enlarged and cast in bronze. I was also a bit perplexed as to why a gargantuan sculpture of such a fear-inducing creature (albeit irrational fear in most cases) was doing outside a national cultural institution.

Maman, created by sculptor Louise Bourgeois, stands at an impressive 9.25m outside the main entrance of the gallery and carries a sac of 26 marble eggs in her belly. According to the National Gallery web site, √¢‚Ǩ≈ìthe soaring body and cage-like egg sac evoke a sense of security but also of entrapment, leading the viewer to question whether Maman is protector or predator”.

The image of a spider, regardless of size, always makes me uneasy, however, seeing this giant one stand before me brought back childhood nightmares of being attacked by giant spiders. Seeing this massive spider was literally like facing a living version of my greatest fear (albeit bronze cast one) which was both scary and reassuring at the same time. On the one hand, I was staring up at my greatest fear, yet on the other hand, since it wasn’t alive there was nothing it could do to harm me. As I became more comfortable with the sculpture I decided to get in a bit closer for some photographs. I slowly circled Maman, getting closer with each pass until finally I decide to go between two of the giant legs into the centre of the sculpture. As I arched backwards with my camera looking up towards the egg sack, I had visions of the eight legs suddenly snapping shut, engulfing me. But then something happened – the sense of foreboding turned into an overwhelming sense of security. I suddenly felt safe in the centre of this sculpture and instead of feeling threatened and claustrophobic I felt protected and liberated.

The transformation was a surprising one for me, but one which I doubt would surprise the artist or a therapist. For anyone with even a slight fear of spiders, a viewing of Maman can easily turn into your own personal graduated exposure therapy session. This type of therapy, also called systematic desensitization, is a form of behavioral therapy used to treat phobias where the subject attempts to remain calm while gradually being exposed to the feared object. A sculpture of a spider is far less threatening than seeing an actual one, even if the sculpture is massive, and by viewing the sculpture I was able to spend some time and sit with my fear, both literally and figuratively, in a non-threatening manner. Not only was I able to become comfortable looking at the object but I was even able to stand right under it, in what I perceived to be the most vulnerable position to be in, and no longer be afraid. Interestingly enough, if it wasn’t for my camera I probably wouldn’t have gotten nearly as close as I did and the idea to walk under the sculpture might never had occurred to me. But, with my camera in hand and the never-ending quest for a great picture fuelling me, I was far more willing and comfortable to step up, walk in, and face my fear and snap a few pictures of it as well.

Although I was initially skeptical of having Maman greet visitors to the National Gallery, I now feel as though she provides a fitting introduction to the gallery. This sculpture is an excellent example of the transformative and healing aspects of art and it is clear from my experience of her and the invocation of both security and fear that the artist set out what she accomplished to do. So, thank you Maman for helping me face my fear one step (and photograph) at a time.