Description

I made this tiny stoneware sculptural installation after editing together my Soft Prominence art video, an intimate dance portrayal of pregnancy. I’ve always been in awe of the female body’s capabilities of birthing and the role of mother.

This sculpture could be described as Mother and Child but in the light of women’s achievements being historically diminished in the world, I feel the need to extrapolate something more arty to say. So here goes:

This is a deep and symbolic piece exploring the theme of matrescence: a word from the 70’s meaning the physical, emotional and spiritual transformation into motherhood.

At its centre is a small, semi-cloaked, breastfeeding mother, styled with a nod to the elegance of the 1920s. She stands calm and monumental among an unusual audience – a gathering of admiring golden slugs.

Are the slugs drawn by maternal reverence… or hunger? I like to think of them as worshippers, awed by the supreme act of creation. In this scene, they become devoted beings – looking towards the sacred moment of nurturing new life.

Whatever your personal connection to motherhood – whether you’ve been mothered, are mothering or have felt the absence of a mother – this work invites you to pause and honour the miracle of creation and the sacrifice of care.

Follow my Instagram account to see videos of my sculptures turning.