Project Proposal (pending funding 2019)

'SEEN FELT HEARD'

As a participant/observer of the identity of ‘Motherhood’ I have been deeply affected by society’s disdain for the role. Furthermore being an Artist/Mother and the conflict of time & energy that brings.

The erosion of intuitive mothering and received wisdom to reliance on ‘experts’, state and external intervention from conception to birth and beyond. Motherhood is heavily pressured towards dependence on ‘other’.

This led me to research the effect of separation trauma on the nervous system and how a child’s brain development is radically altered by early traumatic events, even pre-birth and during birth, to their mother’s nervous system and experiences.

I am now initiating a co-operative of women working within a variety of modalities to support new mothers through pregnancy, birth and early stages of motherhood with group discussion, rituals and ceremonies to empower and inspire confidence.

I believe that to raise a generation of radical change makers so sorely needed, we have to bring awareness to the importance of conscious motherhood in the modern epoch.

Within the co-operative I intend to deliver a creative programme for mothers to express their changing identity through creative output.

These sessions will be delivered to inspire confidence in mothers to follow their innate wisdom, and will include themes of empowering the feminine; rituals and rites of passage; re-instating community, ceremony & connectedness into mothering; fostering an intrinsic parasympathetic nervous system response to being SEEN, FELT, HEARD.

Residency Proposal (pending funding 2019)

'SEEN FELT HEARD'

Technical experimentation and production of multiples focused on the themes of “Motherhood - Seen, Felt, Heard” and inspired by research of Talisman, Totem and Ceremony

This precious time will be spent with a concentrated focus on learning new techniques of production, and developing the key themes of SEEN FELT HEARD through Talisman, Totem & Ceremony:

• Large scale hand-building with clay, glazing & firing within the ceramics workshop - learning the development of glazes and firing processes.

• Learning new skills of casting and mould making to produce multiples, accessing Technician support.

• Framing the project and raising awareness within the wider context of the Contemporary Art network.

Artist's Statement

my creative practice focused on socially engaged themes exploring collaboration, embodied learning and inclusion on large scale projects around the UK. Four years beyond graduation I became a mother, and very shortly after; single mother which affected every level of my being, including my ability to actively engage with large projects. As my daughter has grown, I have been exploring the identity of mother in a wider context:

How are mothers perceived in society?

What crucial wisdom, traditions & reverence for motherhood have been lost?

How has subjugation of women and their role in society diminished motherhood?