Wednesday, 30th March, 7.30pm:
Virtual Tour of the Birth Rites Collection with Director and Curator, Helen Knowles.
FREE to Kent and Kent & Medway Medical School staff and students (please use your Kent/KMMS login to book your free ticket).
Birth Rites is a collection of contemporary art on birth – the first of its kind in the world.
The collection comprises photography, sculpture, painting, artist books, print, wallpaper, drawing, new media and film.
Birth Rites Collection aims to facilitate the production of new cutting edge works by artists who might not normally address the subject because of its taboo status within contemporary art practice, to support the work of artists whose work already engages with issues on this subject, and to acquire relevant existing works to expand the collection.
Through the presentation and dissemination of the work in the public domain, BRC encourages debate and increases awareness around childbirth practice.
The project highlights issues like the shift towards medical intervention in birth and explores the impact of biomedical advances in technology.
We explore whether society’s focus on propelling women on to an equal footing with men in the workplace erodes their importance as mothers, and we investigate how free women are to give birth in a way they want.
The Birth Rites Collection considers who controls the process of childbirth and why?
The Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries is delighted to announce that the Birth Rites collection has recently been relocated to the University of Kent, generously supported by Professor Darren Griffin , Professor of Genetics, School of Biosciences.
Details of our launch event will follow shortly.
The Birth Rites Summer School will take place on the Canterbury Campus from 5th to 9th September.
Bursaries will be offered to Kent staff and Kent and KMMS students to cover attendance at the Summer School (if accommodation is required this can be booked separately at a discounted rate).