Look I have to add, cause this sculture makes me really angry,…in most primitive societies a woman squats or is on all fours when giving birth. You said this sculpture is suppose to depict a woman, emerging from the earth, primitive like, about to give birth - but hey - you’ve depicted a woman: passive, silent, holding her womb, almost like protecting her baby inside, on a platform, dead,lifeless. She’s not about to have a ceasarean is she or be strapped to a hospital bed to have her baby delivered as apposed to BIRTHED? I mean where’s her vagina? How’s the baby suppose to get PUSHED out? Why isn’t the woman on all fours pushing the baby out? Is this too difficult from an engineering point of view or is it too confronting to know that this is how many women if given half a chance would push out and birth their babies? Change this sculpture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!It is offensive to women!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you also going to construct as 20ft blow up obstetrician to deliver the baby?

How is this sculpture balancing the feminie Simon? Study feminism and western birthing practices. If this sculpture comes to a town near me I’ll be deconstrcucting it.

Hey Angela, thanks for sending in your comments.

Yes! This has been raised a few times and is a ‘valid point’. From the artists perspective it would be impossible to construct a ’squatting’ woman to also safely serve the interactive purposes, remain within budgets.

Also, keep in mind the shape of the woman lying on her back is modelled on ‘Bopeechie’ Range in South Australia.

Hi Karen,

then please don’t call the sculpture
“The Birthing Woman”. Maybe “Reclinining Pregnant Woman”, or
“Pregnant Woman Having a Rest a Few Days Away From Birthing”, or “Pensive Pregnant Woman”. But definitely not the verb “birthing”.

Women also give birth lying on their side so maybe this is an engineering option.

I’m just reminded of all those history essays about male artists view of the female shape and how ironically here because it is difficult engineering wise to construct a squatting woman, she is placed on her back for the artists convenience and for the parade of artists to feature inside her. Just sounds to me like a metaphor of what happens to women in general in western,(and birthing), culture: compromised, positioned, scheduled for the convenience of others: mostly men.

Hi Angela,

Thanks so much for your comments regarding the anatomic body positioning of the ‘Birthing’ Woman Installation.

Please firstly try to understand that this is indeed a project of massive scale and that to attain a ’squatting’ position as per your suggestion, really is not only structurally unfeasable and therefore unsafe, but also well beyond our already constrained budgetary limits!

Secondarily, I also find it mildly insulting that you suggest that she is positioned as such simply for the ‘Artist’s Convenience’.. almost as if the metaphorical ‘Artist’ is about to ‘take advantage’ of and compromise her supine positioning!

Are you thereby a pent-up feminist treading dangerously into the area of Policing the Freedoms of Artistic Licence?
I do sincerely hope not!

Please try to relax about this.. it is NOT a major issue OK?
Despite your rantings, there are, I am quite sure, many women of many cultures Globally, both ‘primitive’ and otherwise, who have quite spontaneously and naturally and freely and successfully, given birth to live, healthy offspring WHILST also lying on their backs and with no ‘mostly men’ anywhere to be seen, smelt.. or even heard!

It sounds to Me like you may have a lot of forgiving and healing to do yourself and that to start ‘laying into’ (please forgive that expression too!) an Arts Project that is founded in a Love of Gaia and of All Humanity, on these comparatively petty grounds, smacks perhaps of a deep dissatisfaction with none other than yourself?

A major aim of the project is to provide a safe (literally) womb like, healing and performance space that is bi-symmetrical in it’s presentation.. in other words ‘it’ will look like a “..Reclining Pregnant Woman”, or
“Pregnant Woman Having a Rest a Few Days Away From Birthing”, or “Pensive Pregnant Woman”..’ or dare I say it, even a BIRTHING Woman, which ever angle She is viewed from. Thus Laying Her (PLEASE excuse and forgive THAT expression also!) on her side would also totally defeat this (visual) objective.

Another major aim of the project is not to wind-up feminists, but to assist in BALANCING the Masculine (read Patriarchal) ‘top heavy’ aspects of our existing Planetary Governance systems by taking this aspect of Femininity from the Southern Hemisphere to the (Patriarchally dominated) Northern Hemisphere. Gaia IS in the process of Birthing Her New Self and to present ‘The Birthing Woman’ any differently would be extraneous to these themes.

How many children have you so far ‘Birthed’ anyway?

I have 2 children. I am a woman, not a pent up one - and I can still see the need from your comments and your descriptions of mine as being “ranting” that there is the neccessity to understand the history of women, and why there was and still is a need for a social justice movement called ‘feminism’.

definition of ranting: To speak or write in an angry or violent manner; rave. sounds like a rant to me!

I think you need to get over yourself Angela, you are pathetic and not the spokesperson for all womankind and therefore your claim that the whole project is offensive to all women is a load of crap. It is people like you, your comments and you negative judgemental energy which is why many males do not respond well to feminists. Try being part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Anyone have some positive comments about this project? It sounds like an awesome idea to me, but then again I am not a feminist so perhaps I am not allowed to have a point of view on the matter!!! Either way, at least some open debate on the masculine/feminine issues has start, just a pity the people trying to improve the situation are being unfairly targetted!

Though I would’ve loved it much more if you added a relevant video or at least pictures to back up the explanation, I still thought that your write-up quite helpful. It’s usually hard to make a complicated matter seem very easy. I enjoy your weblog and will sign up to your feed so I will not miss anything. Fantastic content

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