Embodied narratives II : tracing inherited rhythms 2024

Mixed-media on fabric

Dimensions Variable

“We vibrate to the rhythms of our mother's blood before she herself is born, and this pulse is the thread of blood that runs all the way back through the grandmothers to the first mother” (Redmond, 1997). Considering the concept of generational bonds, rooted in the study of reproduction, it is understood that a woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have; thus, when carrying a female fetus, she is also harboring her daughter’s ovaries— one of which may eventually develop into her own grandchild. Research suggests that our life as an egg actually commences in the mother’s developing ovary (Hampikian, 2012).

My research delved deeply into my own body, examining the changes it underwent before and after giving birth to my child. This exploration also serves as a reflection on the life I once lived, shaped by the nurturing of my mother and maternal grandmother. Examining the changes it underwent before and after giving birth to my child, encapsulating the physical and emotional challenges, scars and stories stored within my body was translated into gestural markings and drawings on the fabric. The triptych also serves as a reflection and a closing statement for a chapter of my life.