travelling with a different view
lorna davies
My decision to create a quilt began during the
process of producing a dissertation for my MA Women's
Studies, and the crafting of the quilt became a form of
reflection for me during this long and at times arduous process.
I am not an accomplished needlewoman. I have not
attempted any sewing projects since my school days,
but I felt strongly that I wanted to produce something
that would enable me to rekindle old skills and perhaps
to view the concepts with which I was working
in a different way.
The quilt was to represent the key themes within the
dissertation, which was a study into the value of feminist
educational theory in midwifery learning and teaching.
The colour purple was chosen as the dominant colour
because it is one of the colours that historically represents
women's suffrage. I feel that there are parallels to be drawn
between the persecution of the suffragettes and their endeavour
to win the right to vote, and midwives who have had to battle
for a place beside women during their childbearing experience,
bearing the scars of domination, marginalisation and in some
parts of the world, extinction.
The green embroidered words on the outer aspect of the
work represent the other colour of suffrage. The words are
a selection of international translations for the word 'midwife'.
They serve to remind us of the international sisterhood of
midwifery that exists in spite of the difficulties imposed upon
midwives for centuries. This global affinity between midwives
has been given a new impetus in the past decade with the
rapid mushrooming of an international community on the internet.
Midwives from many different countries and backgrounds are
able to communicate in a way that was previously unthinkable,
enabling them to share ideas and thoughts about birth.
The meaning of the word in some of the other languages has
a poignant significance. For example the Danish word for
midwife is 'mother of earth' and the French sage femme
means 'wise woman.'
The red strip depicts the intervention of obstetrics, and it
clearly delineates and dominates. The colour red represents danger,
and would appear to be a prominent colour on labour wards
where the names of women expecting their first baby are
sometimes written on progress boards in red letters. They are
considered to be 'at greater risk', because obstetrically they
are an unknown quantity. The climate of fear that results leads
to a huge array of intervention and these and the results of these
are embroidered in black. The harsh black lettering is meant
to represent a sense of loss and mourning for the women and babies
who suffer from many unnecessary and iatrogenic interventions.
The statistics were taken from a birth survey carried out
by Mother and Baby magazine in 2000. They surveyed over
two thousand women. Their data is not considered to be
authoritative, but the figures by and large reflect the
statistical data of local maternity units.
The corners are adjoined with thick black-knotted sutures,
which bear close resemblance to the interrupted sutures
sometimes used on the perineum to repair an episiotomy
or a tear. The fabric has been left purposefully frayed to
represent the aftermath of birth for some women, both
physically and psychologically. Damage which cannot
always be repaired.
The words in the circles in the centre of the piece represent
what I believe to be the core values of midwifery and
midwifery education. The circles also represent to me
connected learning and connected teaching.
The words in the centre of the needlework 'with woman'
are the translation of the word midwife, which is Anglo Saxon
in origin. These two words place midwife and woman at the
centre concurrently, which I believe to be the key to the
future of maternity services. If we can manage to place
obstetrics on the periphery instead of in the centre,
then we can achieve a woman-midwife centred partnership,
which enables women to gain a more individualised,
positive and meaningful childbirth experience.
Sara has frequently expressed the view that traditional
crafts such as sewing and knitting should be a compulsory
component in any midwifery programme. Such activities
would give the student midwives something to do with their
hands whilst they sit and watch and wait for women to birth,
without interference. It has also been suggested by Jean Sutton
that traditional craft skills were intuitively (as well as practically)
used by women to produce items of love for their babies in
the prenatal period. This encouraged their 'broody' hormones
to flow which made for easier birth and the loss of such skills
has resulted in a population of young women who experience
the wonder of becoming a mother as a commercial event
and consequently endure more difficult birth.
Quilting and appliqué seemed to figure strongly during
the period that I was carrying out the research. For example
we visited a hospital in Nashville during a trip to the
United States. In the foyer of the hospital was a gallery
of quilts and appliqués produced by the patients in the
hospital. It was named the Quilting Garden. I also bought a
quilt from the Amish community whilst visiting an Amish
midwife in rural Tennessee.
I was then introduced to the Birth Project work of
Judy Chicago. From 1980-1985 Judy Chicago worked with
over 130 needleworkers from different countries to produce
a series of tapestries, appliqués and quilts that came to be
known collectively as the Birth Project. These women worked
in their homes - sometimes alone, sometimes in groups.
The principles Judy Chicago used in this collaborative process
grew out of her philosophy that people can be empowered
by art - through making it, viewing it, and owning it.
As a result of producing the crafted work, I feel that I have
learnt new skills and developed existing skills, in particular
patience. The therapeutic benefits have helped me to
rediscover a part of myself that I felt I had lost with childhood.
Producing 'Travelling with a Different View' helped me to
contexualise my study, and I hope that I can use it to
educate about birth art, midwifery education and the
reality of birth in the twenty first century.