“Open any obstretic textbook to headless torsos, forceps blades inserted… generations of medical students taught birth as a mechanical dilemma. Images of birth which celebrate the energy of women’s bodies could be on the walls of every hospital… and start to acknowledge birth as a psychosexual experience” — Sheila Kitzinger
’Birth Undisturbed' is a fictional narrative series by British photographer Natalie Lennard. Travelling through the world and history to depict birth from ancient to modern, and squalid to famous, the series depicts stories of woman both real and imagined. Using images and video to examine current Western birth consciousness, the artist strives to speak a new language to bring the rawness of primal birth into the art world. Highlighting key figureheads and writers from the realm of birth philosophy, the series' timeliness is ever more appropriate in a global maternity crisis.
Birth Undisturbed has been featured by the Daily Mail, Daily Beast, LBC Radio, Framed Show and Apollo Arts Magazine, and at spoken conferences in London and Nashville. The series is in progress over 2018 / 2019, with plans for exhibitions and book.
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About the Artist
Natalie Lennard (b. 1986) is a fine-art and commercial photographer whose work has been exhibited in the Saatchi Gallery, Houses of Parliament and Waldermarsudde Museum, Sweden, and featured in media worldwide including BBC, NY Arts, and El Pais. Originating as artist alter ego 'Miss Aniela' in 2006, her work of 11 years has fused classical with modern, and fashion with fine art, to create an intricate balance of contemporary creativity. 'Birth Undisturbed' is her first major project to focus on a biosocial topic and with documentary accompaniment. Full CV at www.missaniela.com