RECEIVING BLANKET SERIES
G1P0011 (2020)
The work explores the notion of value in the context of the 'mother' and woman. 'G1P0011' references an archaic formula still used by medical professionals, to describe a woman's entire reproductive history for medical records. From the Latin 'Gravis' and 'Para', the initials 'G' and 'P' are used to represent the number of pregnancies, miscarriages, births, abortions and premature children a woman has had. Considering numbers are often referred to in formulaic contexts as 'values', parallels can be drawn between a woman's obstetric history and her perceived value. Each blanket is marked with this formula.
Neatly folded and piled, we are reminded of the ordered, clinical environment of the hospital environment, and the maternity ward where these receiving blankets originate. The structure is comparable to the myriad of rules we are instructed to follow as new mothers. The work uses the original blankets with which I 'received' my daughter, making the work deeply autobiographical and indicative of my personal experiences of motherhood, medical authority and control.
The Anthropological Gaze (2020)
This piece features transcripts printed onto a newborn receiving blanket.
Referencing Duchamp's ideas about control and authority over children, the work is displayed on the floor, alluding to the adult's desire to view children as 'other'. The piece references this gaze in order to invite the viewer to consider their position over the subject.
