Art Adventure

Vancouver Spidey

In early March 2023, commuters on the Vancouver Millennium Line were taken aback when they saw a gigantic spider appearing near the train track. However, thankfully, this was no strange spider mutation but rather a piece of installation art by Canadian artist ‘Junko.’

Reaching headlines worldwide, ‘Phobia,’ as it is titled, soon fell into my phone feed. More than anything, perhaps I was pleasantly surprised that, out of all the places in the world, this was happening in my city. From that second, I was determined to visit spidey.

This past weekend, fueled by rumours that spidey may soon be removed by the city, I decided it was the opportune moment to finally visit the artwork. As such, my friends and I set out on an adventure.

Our destination was Commercial-Broadway Station in East Vancouver. Reaching the station from the expo line, we had yet to get a glimpse of spidey. Outside the station, many bridges crossed the submerged tracks on the Millennium Line, and identifying the wrong bridge and seeing no spider below it, we were quickly disappointed as suspensions set in that the city may have already removed it.

Spidey hidden under the bridge

However, this disappointment only fueled the moment of the grand reveal: when we suddenly spotted a dark object under another bridge…

There it was. A spider! We paused in our tracks to admire its glory. Then, venturing closer, I was particularly surprised at how much smaller it seemed compared to the photos I saw online (I realize now that they were all zoomed-in ).

Spidey zoomed-in close up. Apologies for poor resolution (I have an iPhone 8).

For more than five minutes, we stood there still and wordless, admiring the artwork. It was a little bit ridiculous almost—we stared with such intent as if we anticipated that spidey would start moving.

I realized the intricacy and elegance in the material that made up the artwork. None of us could really figure out whether it was metal or plastic, yet, without any visible support, spidey rests upon that slanted slope motionless as if planning its next move.

What draws me most to the artwork, however, is undoubtedly its weird, provoking, and almost-humourous nature. Imagining what it must have been like for passengers of the Millennium Line to witness an enormous spider outside the window intrigues and fascinates me. In fact, so much so that we eventually hopped on the Millennium Line ourselves to see what it felt like to see spidey “first hand.”

On the way back to the station, I also noted that, much like how Junko described in his call to “save spidey” from the city’s attempt of removal, there is quite a bit of visible garbage scattered throughout areas near the tacks. Rightfully as Junko pointed out, it seems more appropriate to remove the garbage rather than an interesting piece of artwork.

Garbage near the tracks

Ultimately, as much as I admire and am inspired by spidey, after the enduring journey we took to reach it, seeing it was, only slightly, underwhelming. For a whole day, we were filled with purpose, yet, when spidey finally stood right before us, it seemed like, “That was it?” However, I soon realized, as my friend would come to put it, “It’s not about the spider; it’s about the friends we made along the way.”