2015

Archival inkjet print

9 x 16 inches

Edition of 15

Printed on Arches archival hot pressed 140 lb cotton paper

This print is from a fiber based series called Birth Words. It is estimated that one in three women who give birth describe their experience as traumatic. Birth trauma can occur for a variety of reasons, including lengthy labors, poor pain relief, feelings of loss of control, high levels of medical interventions, impersonal treatment, not being listened to, fear of baby's safety, lack of privacy or dignity, or lack of information or explanation.

For this project I gathered quotes from Improving Birth’s Break the Silence Campaign, where women told their stories of abuse at the hands of their doctors. I sewed these words onto canvases covered with hospital gown fabric I designed. Varsity lettering, which is typically used for letter man jackets, was sewn onto the canvas to spell the phrases. Many of these phrases sound like words a rapist would say to their victim.