“Embrace Motherhood”
In the Western world, the legal situation surrounding the freedom to have an abortion is subject to constant change – a complex compromise that encompasses the social discussion, the sovereign power of disposal over one’s own body, but also the question of the unborn child’s right to life and the ethical freedom of doctors. When an affected person decides to terminate a pregnancy, their action is never free of condemnation.
Without taking sides ourselves, we wanted to depict the dilemma of the decision in an installation in which the embryo experiences outside influence in the actually protected space of the amniotic sac.
The embryo lies in a translucent, skin-like envelope surrounded by viscous, blood-like fluid. Visitors are encouraged to touch the construct – with little or a lot of pressure.
Our digital visual is inspired by ultrasound photos and the inside of the uterus. The fleshy, organic forms respond to sound sequences and haptic stimuli. The visual responds to the immediate interaction with the embryo. Sensors detect touch and change the movements of the unborn.
The installation is accompanied by ultrasonic sounds and generated voices of anti-abortion voices, to which the images adapt, capturing the effect of society’s condemning comments on women’s bodies and their decisions.
2022, Touchdesigner / Physical computing
Julia Adolphs, Isabell Drauz, Al Ayaasha Medford, Ligal Tamir, Lisa Wagner
