In this project, we were asked to explore various rituals around Birth, Marriage and Death.
Our group were mainly focused on the cut of the umbilical cord, and how other cultures differ from ours in ways of dealing with the placenta afterwards. One of the areas I researched on was how people deal with detached body parts, from both medical and religious points of view. I looked into Egyptian urns, bio-hazard disposal bags and various rite of passage ceremonies.
However I didn’t feel that it would be as solid as a project starting point as the other area I had been looking at which was medical procedures in hospitals. I wanted to bring warmth into the operation room, as nowadays, the procedures are often criticized, as being cold, impersonal and slaughter house-like. On top of that, the mothers are often isolated from the process, as there’s usually a screen to block the mother’s view.
However I didn’t feel that it would be as solid as a project starting point as the other area I had been looking at which was medical procedures in hospitals. I wanted to bring warmth into the operation room, as nowadays, the procedures are often criticized, as being cold, impersonal and slaughter house-like. On top of that, the mothers are often isolated from the process, as there’s usually a screen to block the mother’s view.
But some how, having these kind of births has almost became a ritual in our modern society. In the sense that it is a common practice that majority of the population just go to the hospital to give birth without having second thought. This is when I decided to look into the cold and alien-like surgical instruments. I looked into ways of altering their forms and materials, so that the baby and the mother can have a more welcoming experience during these dreadful hours.
As I feel wood is one of the warmest and most natural materials you can find on earth. I made a few drawings trying to examine how I needed to change the form and structure of them in order to carve it out of hardwood.
People who are expecting a baby can first visit out website which includes information on different types of wood and sandpaper, a gallery for people to upload pictures. And then they can order a semi-finished wooden template with a wood that they feel represents them the most. And during their 9 month pregnancy, they can shape their very own forceps and other surgical instruments to be used in the hospital.
The aboves are examples of how the instruments could look like.
Not only will the mother be able to take part in the procedure, the baby will also, be delivered with something especially crafted for him. And do you remember that I also tested the finishes? I decided to leave the wood as it is cos after the procedure, the blood stain on the instruments also symbolizes the individuality of each birth, and the parents can take them home as a momentum as well.
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