Spider empathy - Valérie Chartrand

During this past year and a half of pandemic confinement, my focus inevitably turned to indoor ecology. The documentation of my indoor biome was set in motion by my connection with a spider who died of thirst in the winter of 2020. I started giving water to all spiders in my house and this led me to create Spider drinking dishes with reliefs of spiders that were found dried up in basements and attics. My work expanded to other species of spiders that settled in my home and studio and I started establishing connections with them, focusing on the nature in my home and becoming a home based citizen scientist. My documentation resulted in Spider narratives, augmented reality books in which I was able to share glimpses of my observations, as well as Empathy portraits which are portrait style photographs of the three types of jumping spiders who live in and around my house.

Drinking dishes

A close up of several small, circular, white with aqua glazed porcelain drinking dishes on the grey floor in the corner of a white walled room. The dishes have irregular edges like a pie, the relief of a spider in their center, and vary in sizing like coins. A long legged spider is drinking from one of the dishes. — Spider drinking dishes, detail with a curious spider. 2021. Glazed porcelain, 1″-3″ diameter.

Augmented reality books

3 handmade, thread abound flip books and a cardboard box of disposable, biodegradable gloves sitting on an old, wood table with 2 white task lights fixed to its back edge. The book in the foreground and the middle are pale in colour and the book at the top of the photo is black. Each book has an indiscernible symbol and text on the cover. — Valérie Chartrand. Hand-bound augmented reality flip books. 2021. Inkjet prints on lokta paper, craft paper, and watercolour paper, chipboard, waxed thread. 12” x 15”. Photo: Adrienne Row – Smith | Firegrove Studio.

The background of this black and white image is composed of a vast network of webs containing several small spiders in varyibg degrees of focus. The foreground contains the following white, printed text "I was struck by the beauty of the glowing eight-legged stars that were emerginbg from the delicate white hanging spheres. It was like witnessing the birth of a galaxy." and simple white line drawing of a constallation of stars and circles. — Page from Gretchen and the universe. 2021. Augmented reality book, hand-bound, inkjet on lokta paper, chipboard, watercolour paper, 12″ x 15″.

A person holds a mobile phone with both hands above an open flip book resting on an old wood table against a white wall with 2 white task lights attached to its back edge. The mobile phone depicts a spider sitting atop a square edged column. The open page of the book similarly depicts a spider sitting atop a square edged column. — Julia and the negative sublime. 2021. Augmented reality book, hand-bound, inkjet on lokta paper, chipboard, watercolour paper, 12″ x 15″. Photo: Adrienne Row – Smith | Firegrove Studio

A hand holding a mobile phone depicting a spider over a transparent sphere is positioned above a manilla papered book, the open page of which contains 3 lines of text, a very small qr code centered at the top of the page, and a very small line drawing of a spider on a sphere centered at the bottom 3rd of the page. The book sits on an old wooden table against a white wall. — The life of Bryan. 2021. Augmented reality book, hand-bound, inkjet on lokta paper, chipboard, craft paper, watercolour paper, 12″ x 15″. Photo: Adrienne Row – Smith | Firegrove Studio

Access the online version of The Life of Bryan:

Empathy portraits

A 4 x 3 grid of thick white-bordered macro photographs of various spiders in various environments mounted to a white wall by small, round metal fixtures at each corner of each photograph. A label is visible at our bottom left beneath the first column of 3 photos. — Empathy portrait 1-12. 2021. Giclée print on Hahnemühle paper, 12″ x 18″. Photo: Adrienne Row – Smith | Firegrove Studio

A macro portrait of a jumping spider standing on a dark but reflective surface and in front of a grey background. The spider, with a row of two large center eyes and 2 smaller outside eyes, is covered in striped dark and light brown hair, faces us with hair standing up on its head. — Empathy portrait 3. 2021. Giclée print on Hahnemühle paper, 12″ x 18″.

A macro portrait of a jumping spider on yellow brick with a row of two large center eyes and 2 smaller outside eyes, light and dark striped hair, and its head tilted to our left. — Empathy portrait 9. 2021. Giclée print on Hahnemühle paper, 12″ x 18″.

A macro portrait of a jumping spider standing on a beige shiny carpet in front of a taupe background. The spider, with a row of two large center eyes and 2 smaller outside eyes, is covered in striped dark and light brown hair, faces us with hair standing up on its head,and its 2 front legs raised. — Empathy portrait 12. 2021. Giclée print on Hahnemühle paper, 12″ x 18″.