‘Maman’ up close

This sculpture is one of six bronze casts. The first sculpture, from which these casts were made, is made of steel and is in the collection of the Tate Modern, London. The marble eggs in all sculptures are made of white marble from Carrara, Italy.

Maman comprises of 16 bronze leg sections, two bronze body sections, 20 marble eggs and eight steel footing plates. 

It measures 9.271 x 8.915 x 10.236 metres.

The total weight of the sculpture is approximately 10,909 kilograms, with each of the eight legs weighing 1250 kilograms. The weight is distributed evenly between the legs. 

Humans are bigger than spiders. Maman, on the other hand, towers above us. Measuring over 9 metres tall, this giant spider is one of Bourgeois’s most ambitious projects. What effect do you think the scale of this spider might have on someone standing beneath it? Is it terrifying or awe-inspiring? How do you think the artist created such a big sculpture? What is it made of, and how did it get to be outside the Art Gallery of New South Wales?  

 Bourgeois’s mother Joséphine was a tapestry restorer and an important role model. ‘The spider,’ wrote Bourgeois, ‘is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend.’ The title of the work, Maman, is a French word for ‘mum’ or ‘mummy’. In what ways do you think this sculpture represents the artist’s mother, or a ‘mum’ in general? Make a list of traits or characteristics that describe both spiders and a mother, parent or carer. Discuss your ideas with the class. 

 Maman travels around the world. You can find other Maman sculptures like this one in the UK, Spain, Canada, Japan, America and Qatar. If you look closely, you can see that Maman has a sac carrying 20 marble eggs. Do you think she will lay her eggs at the Art Gallery of New South Wales? Imagine all the places this spider has been, maybe searching to find a place to lay her eggs. Write and illustrate a story about the life of Maman based on her travels and what she has seen. Where will she call home? 

Use your spider senses to detect what Maman is doing or planning to do. Is she resting or is she about to crawl away? Which way will she go? How will she move – fast or slow, or will she jump or scuttle? Create a flip book or stop-motion film to express your imaginative thoughts and ideas.  

 Bourgeois wrote every day, filling diaries with poems, thoughts and ideas. As a class, sit in a circle and weave a tale. Build a collaborative story about a spider larger than life. One person will begin the story with a word and then pass to the student beside them, who will add another word, and so on. Write your story down and illustrate it. 

 Think about the experience of looking up at Maman from below, like a child looking up at parent or grown-up, or a spider looking up at a person. How does this flip in scale make you feel? Choose an insect or a small animal and create a sculpture of it in a larger-than-life scale. Consider a place on your school grounds to display your sculpture. How do students and teachers react when they see it?  

Maman and many of Bourgeois’s spider sculptures may be read as referring to maternal figures: the artist’s mother, an archetypal mother, a symbol of motherhood, or the artist herself. In a March 1975 diary entry, Bourgeois wrote, ‘You need a mother. I understand but I refuse to be your mother because I need a mother myself.’ Discuss this quote and the role of motherhood in Bourgeois’s art. How does Maman enact these different types of maternal figures? Who are some other artists that draw on the theme of motherhood in their practice, and how does their approach compare to Bourgeois’s? 

Look closely at Maman’s spiralled body and egg sac. For Bourgeois, the spiral is ‘an attempt at controlling the chaos’. She often included these coiled forms in her work; she wrote: ‘Spirals – which way to turn – represent the fragility in an open space. Fear makes the world go round.’ Think about the artist’s comments in the context of Maman. What meaning or associations arise from the use of the spiral in this work? What does this helix form mean to you? 

Bourgeois created Maman in 1999 for the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, London. An edition of six bronze sculptures were cast from the first version in steel. Research some of the places – or habitats – where Maman has lived or lives permanently around the world and compare these findings to its current location in front of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. How do each of these contexts change the way you see the sculpture, or the location in which it sits? What is the relationship between Maman and architecture? How might viewers in each place respond differently to the work?  

Look at how Maman’s eight knobbly legs balance the spider’s body and connect to the ground. The sculpture weighs 10,909 kilograms, but these spindly legs give the giant spider a feeling of lightness, like it’s about to scurry away at any time. As a result, Maman appears both terrifying and vulnerable. Create a sculpture inspired by this duality and the idea of weight and weightlessness. Carefully consider structure and form, and the way your sculpture balances on the ground. 

 Are you afraid of spiders? For Bourgeois, making art was a way of addressing her fears and anxieties. Maman, a larger-than-life spider, is a terrifying proposition for many. Think of something that you find spooky or gives you the jitters and create a series of artworks that highlights this subject. Describe the process of creating these works. Was it difficult or cathartic? 

 Bourgeois drew on her memories to create art throughout her career. ‘All my subjects have found their inspiration in my childhood,’ she wrote. Reflect on a memory, thought, feeling or experience from your childhood as a basis for a body of work. Consider symbolic referencing, choice of materials and use of scale to elevate your concept.