Broken Water, Janet Shaw-Russell
14 sewing paper vessels cast from beer bottles pierced with sewing pins.
Title: Broken Water
Artist: Janet Shaw-Russell
Date: 2021
Medium/Material: Sculpture
Dimensions: 40 cm x 40 cm x 24 cm
Form/Genre: Sculpture
Key Terms/Subject/Tags: FASD; Neuroscience research; Hope
Artist Statement:
In 2020 and 2021, Janet Shaw-Russell was one of five artists chosen for “Dura Mater: Reflections on Neurofeminism”, a visual art learning partnership between artists and neuroscientists. This opportunity was organized by Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art and the Manitoba Neuroscience Network.
For “Dura Mater,” She partnered with Dr. Geoff Hicks, a University of Manitoba neuroscientist studying fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and worked with his entire lab team. Shaw-Russell was awarded a Canada Council for the Arts “Explore and Create Concept to Realization” grant recipient for her project.
Many harsh realities of FASD struck her. When an embryo is barely the size of a sewing pin’s head, and the mother is still unaware that she is even pregnant, the alcohol from a single evening of binge drinking can do serious lifelong damage to her baby.
In response, she created Broken Water. Cast from beer bottles using sewing pattern tissue and archival glue, these visceral vessels are pierced with sewing pins. Each form relates to the shape of women’s bodies and their attire. Beautiful on the outside, we see the harm the consumed alcohol (represented by pins) can do. As Leona Herzog, curator of the resulting group exhibition Dura Mater: Objective/Subjective, says, “The shiny pin heads have become sharp needles exploding from the bottles or menacingly filling the interiors. There is a great deal of vulnerability; an alluring exterior belies the perilous interior.”
The hope in these partnerships is that science and art can give birth to positive change.
Cultural Context / Story Behind the Work:
Created during a learning partnership with neuroscientist Dr. Geoff Hicks and his lab team.
Rights for this Image:
This digital image is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. You are free to share it for non-commercial purposes, as long as you credit the artist.
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