Unheard

Unheard
2023
Photographic scan, printed on giclée paper (6 x 6") 
Limited edition of 6 (unframed)

Connecting objects across generations, I hold my late father’s scalpel which he used for cutting negatives in his photography studio, scanned as a photographic image - a technique he also used in his personal work. The scalpel in my hand repositions the control, or lack of it, I experienced with the birth of my son - my father’s grandchild he will never know - reflecting on the medicalisation of the birth experience and the perceptions and contradictions of ‘natural’ and ‘medical’ birth journeys.

This piece was exhibited as part of My Body in My Hands and is featured in the exhibition catalogue of the same name by Sam Lucas and Nick Grellier. Information below:

My Body In My Hands - John St Gallery, Stroud, GL5 2HA May 5-13 an exhibition of over 100 artists' responses to #mybodyinmyhands works encompassing bodily experience and accompanying texts. My Body in My Hands is a physical exhibition following artist Sam Lucas's call out on Instagram @theweightofbeing to make a piece of work in any medium to describe how it feels to be in your body and post a photo of the work in the hand. The ongoing project has produced a conceptually broad and exciting response with over 100 artists participating in the exhibition at SVA Stroud and over 300 in the online gallery. Materially wide open, the works range from ceramics, found objects, paper, natural materials and human matter to short videos. 170 images of the artworks and accompanying texts were shown alongside a selection of physical pieces in John Street Gallery, Stroud 5-13 May 2023.