Giant Spiders

Tuesday, 2nd December 2008 by

Caution arachnophobes, many parts of the world appear to be home to giant spiders, thankfully all in the name of art.

First up, a giant bug on top of a building in Reno, Nevada.

This spider sculpture was created by artist David Fambrough. It consists of the body of a VW beetle / bug (depending where you live) with huge metal legs. Some people wanted to squash the impressive looking bug, but it has been granted a reprieve and will instead be moved to another part of the city.

Controversy can also surround the bronze or steel casts of Louise Bourgeois' sculpture Maman, which can currently be found in 8 different location worldwide. In my home town, Ottawa, there's a 10m tall Maman which cost $3.2millionCAD, though it quickly became a popular local icon.

Maman can also be found outside art galleries in Bilbao, Tokyo and Seoul.

In Kansas City Maman isn't visible on Google Maps, but Street View reveals that she is happily menacing two women and a (doubtless quite traumatised) baby in a stroller.

Maman also lives in St Petersburg, Paris and Havana, but I can't track her down on Google Maps or Google Earth. Let me know if you can!

Finally, giant spiders must spin giant webs ... like this one in Colorado, which appears to be at least a couple of hundred metres wide.

Thanks to Steve and Bleij.