RESEARCH
MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTION: MATERNAL ART
"Reconceive Invisibilities" in Maternal Art
Maternal Art is a UK based independent Gallery & publishing house, bringing together work by artists who produce inspirational work about the maternal. My article " Reconceive Invisibilities" was published in June 2021.
Maternal Art is a UK based independent Gallery & publishing house, bringing together work by artists who produce inspirational work about the maternal. My article " Reconceive Invisibilities" was published in June 2021.
07/06/2021
Link to full article here:https://maternalart.com/blog/reconceive-invisibilities-by-sally-butcher...
Reconceive Invisibilities by Sally Butcher
Lockdown restricted our visibility; we couldn’t see each other in reality and our vision was mediated. For infertile women, lockdown made them more invisible than ever; not having to be seen missing work for appointments, or clearly removing themselves from social situations because they are too painful, seems helpful, but is it? In lockdown the world was quiet, but for infertile women it was more silent than ever, with no fielding inappropriate questions about your maternal intentions, and no distraction from the incessant internal conversations, to give much-needed sense of perspective. In lockdown, we inhabited space differently; like infertility, we were forced to withdraw from others and were held captive in our own houses and in our own heads, we stood two metres away from others, like infertile women stand away from mothers. In lockdown, our perception of time changed; like infertile time, you’re stuck, waiting for the next instruction and you desperately want to be productive, but you don’t have the means or inclination, and when the days go so slowly but then another year has vanished. This time an infertile year for all of us.
Reconceive Invisibilities by Sally Butcher
Lockdown restricted our visibility; we couldn’t see each other in reality and our vision was mediated. For infertile women, lockdown made them more invisible than ever; not having to be seen missing work for appointments, or clearly removing themselves from social situations because they are too painful, seems helpful, but is it? In lockdown the world was quiet, but for infertile women it was more silent than ever, with no fielding inappropriate questions about your maternal intentions, and no distraction from the incessant internal conversations, to give much-needed sense of perspective. In lockdown, we inhabited space differently; like infertility, we were forced to withdraw from others and were held captive in our own houses and in our own heads, we stood two metres away from others, like infertile women stand away from mothers. In lockdown, our perception of time changed; like infertile time, you’re stuck, waiting for the next instruction and you desperately want to be productive, but you don’t have the means or inclination, and when the days go so slowly but then another year has vanished. This time an infertile year for all of us.
