Awesome shot!
I too have made this sculpture a model for some shots.
Feel free to take a look if you like. Yours is much better though :)
http://www.shawnqpublic.com/index.php?id=59
Posted by Shawn at October 3, 2005 12:24 AMWow! This is really creepy! I shivered when i saw it! Great work!
Posted by Lazerrat at October 3, 2005 12:41 AMscary =D
As a canadian living in the states, i just wanna say thanks for all your gorgeous pics (ALL of them, from oxford to wherever). they really bring a smile to my face each day and help remind me why i miss toronto so much. keep up the good work.
Posted by Devika at October 3, 2005 02:09 AMNice angle
Posted by Maran at October 3, 2005 02:09 AMwhat an excellent sunray effect.
Posted by jesse at October 3, 2005 02:16 AMThat's pretty horrible! ;) I like the way the sunlight catches some details, as well as the star effect. Reminds me of several horror/sci-fi films!
Posted by owen-b at October 3, 2005 02:17 AMWow, great statue. I have to take a walk over there sometime this week.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
Posted by Daniel at October 3, 2005 02:35 AMAmazing, love the angle, very sci-fictional.
Posted by Mani at October 3, 2005 02:44 AMthis is just amazing! it strikes the viewer with outstanding images that strike all senses to the fullest! the contrast between light, shade and sky is indescriptably amazing!
Posted by caro at October 3, 2005 03:17 AMAs usual, an image that is beautiful and thought-provoking. Thanks.
Posted by Germaine at October 3, 2005 03:45 AMNice perspective, you've got the sun in a great spot.
Posted by Ed { tfk } at October 3, 2005 04:27 AMI have seen a similar sculpture by this artist at the Tate Modern in London. I found it to be incredibly fascinating & took several photos. Do you know of other locations displaying the spider series?
I do want to thank you for this site. I check every few days to see what's new. I have never been to Ottawa, but it's nice to get a little slice via the Internet.
geraldine in Honolulu, HI
Posted by Geraldine Kiser at October 3, 2005 04:43 AMHas this spider been on the move? I'm sure i've seen him outside the Guggenheim in Bilbao 2 or 3 years ago.
Posted by lowkey at October 3, 2005 04:46 AMThat thing costs $3.2M?! My goodness!
Posted by Ali at October 3, 2005 05:47 AMFunny, I posted on the same subject three days ago.
Posted by andre at October 3, 2005 07:12 AMCool shot. Liked the blues as well!
Posted by Ashish Sidapara at October 3, 2005 07:21 AMWow, makes me wonder how creepy this would be to have taken it against a full moon.
Thanks for giving us something every day to enjoy.
Posted by Trixie64 at October 3, 2005 07:49 AMThanks for scaring the shit out of me Sam!!! I hate spiders, but still, this is a great shot!
Posted by Keels at October 3, 2005 08:23 AMThis is one of the best photographs of Bourgeois' Maman that I have seen. Contratulations!
Posted by Nasab at October 3, 2005 08:42 AMcreepy.
Posted by Tim at October 3, 2005 09:02 AMWhat a tough shot. You managed to pull off a great composition (again)!
Posted by Kevin at October 3, 2005 10:36 AMIt has been pointed out by others, in letters to the Ottawa Citizen when this overpriced ugliness was placed, that it is unlike any real spider on earth. Real spider legs do not project in this manner but go up and then down placing the body close to the ground. So much for artists playing with what they know nothing about.
I find this kind of expenditure an insult to humanity and the poor who are homeless, as well as all those who are ripped off by a cheap housing standard that provides no privacy and quiet. A junk loving society who's million dollar luxury condos are no more quiet than poor people places. Pathetic!
An intersting photo however.
Posted by Hugh Petrie at October 3, 2005 11:21 AMNicely done sir! I was just pondering why Louise Bourgeois called it maman? Even spiderman was not born from a spider.
Still difficult for me to imagine how huge his maman has been. And she had eight legs?
Posted by Azad at October 3, 2005 11:29 AMWicked angle you've got here. Though I honestly absolutely detest spiders, the photo made me tense up for a second.
Posted by lisa at October 3, 2005 11:41 AMhere's a picture of the spider at the tate.
http://thenewpolio.com/archive/2004/08/08/k
Posted by paul at October 3, 2005 12:37 PMIt's nice composition but the spider blends in with the background a bit too much for my taste.
Posted by Boreo at October 3, 2005 02:05 PMIntense! Really like this, a giant spider silhouetted against a rich blue sky. Great angle, great shot - [Chuks]
Posted by EOS Chaos at October 3, 2005 02:06 PMWOW. That is an incredible shot. Kudos Sam!
Posted by fragileheart at October 3, 2005 03:45 PMTruly stunning considering one can find so many of these type of images (the silhouette against a blue sky). Yet yours takes it to a new level what with the sun's rays and the intersting angle. Keep up the good work.
Posted by A.R. at October 3, 2005 04:11 PMyeah ! lovely cool shot , well done !
Posted by M Reza at October 3, 2005 05:02 PMIncredible photo. I love the sun, its wonderfully done.
Posted by Michael at October 3, 2005 06:04 PMFriggin Fantastic. But I'm curious: Did you know that there was a partial eclipse today? Cause if you don't, now THAT would be cool. But I'm guessing you do.
Cheers, thnx for the site.
Hey Sam,
I saw this spider (or something very similar) when I was in Tokyo in May, 2004, outside of Tokyo Tower. It just so happens I took a picture of it as well: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/neilpasricha/Bigspider.jpg
Is it the same one?
Neil
Posted by Neil at October 3, 2005 10:27 PM
Totally awesome, I'm amazed on how you capture this sculpture with the rays of the sun.
Freaky! Who would pay $3.2m to make something like this?!
Posted by Darren Squashic at October 3, 2005 11:32 PMI love how the sun is peeking through there.
What an overpriced piece of junk though!
Posted by Viking at October 4, 2005 12:00 AMThere is the same sculpture at the Gugenheim museum in Bilbao.
Posted by willy at October 4, 2005 06:39 PM3.2m???
the picture is worth more than the sculpture ;)
Posted by Jim at October 4, 2005 07:34 PMare you a fan of half-life 2?
Posted by neowenyang at October 6, 2005 10:57 AMReminds me of War of the Worlds. Creepy.
Posted by James at October 6, 2005 09:40 PMFantastic, dramatic underexposure and polarized effect.
Posted by Abe at October 12, 2005 10:42 PMIt seems there are several Mamans all over the world. I was in Bilbao, Spain last week, and there is indeed a giant Maman spider just behind the Guggenheim Museum. I could also swear I saw two of them outside New York's Rockerfeller Centre a few years ago, as a temporary installation.
Posted by Soloman at October 17, 2005 06:22 PMSlide show and photos of Maman the spider outside the National Gallery of Canada,
Projection de diapositives et photos de Maman l'araignée en dehors de la galerie nationale du Canada,
QuickTime player required, Joueur de QuickTime requis
Posted by Rob at February 14, 2006 08:43 AMThis goes nicely with the previous Half-Life 2 photograph.
City 17 strider, anyone?
Posted by Nate at September 4, 2006 06:12 AM