THE MOTHERNESS GALAXY Chapter 2: Doctor’s Feelings

“The Motherness Galaxy” is the title of a series of gatherings dedicated to exploring the complexities of motherhood and mothering and their connection to death, mourning, life, and power. When and where does life begin, and who gets to decide? Castélie Yalombo and Sophie Farza invite artists, thinkers, social workers, and anyone interested to delve into the nuances of motherhood.

Maternal bodies are uniquely positioned as they bear witness to the proximity of life and death within their own flesh. These experiences are loaded with fantasies and symbols, creating a sensitive and often challenging environment to support the psychological and reproductive lives of women and parents.

After the first chapter ‘Bad Mother’ in Beursschouwburg, we welcome you for this second chapter ‘Doctor’s Feelings’ as part of Learning Together. The transmission of knowledge about the female body from woman to woman has disappeared in favour of centralised medical knowledge. While childbirth, bereavement and – more symbolically – death no longer take place at home. Doctors are the representatives, managers and privileged witnesses of these events. This chapter looks at the grief mechanisms created by healthcare structures, especially in the context of terminations of pregnancy or the loss of a baby. What is it like to be close to death in a society that tends to keep death at bay?

Programme

9:30 Reception

10:00 Introduction to The Motherness Galaxy
Introduction and opening of ‘the motherness galaxy’, a living archive of collected materials and conversations regarding mother figures and mothering (acts of motherhood) from different perspectives: interviews, literature, sociology, psychoanalysis, politics, etc.

10:30 -13:30 Discursive workshop
In  this workshop we would like to dive into the meanings we give to « grief ». Through reading, questionings and talking , we’d like to guide you through a timespace where to unfold your language of grief and mourning, and reflect on the way we relate to loss, absence, disappearance, powerlessness in our life. What meaning do we give to them? How much can we let them affect us?

We want to offer a space that can be safe and brave, where we dare to ask and slide between intimate and reflexive, political, symbolical and pragmatical. With curiosity, openness and non-judgment we learn to deep listen to each other’s inner worlds. It’s also an invitation to embody listening, talking, reading, caring, supporting, lifting, giving, turning, [                              ] each other.

Free, after registration

13:30 – 14:30 Lunch
For those participating in the discursive workshop in the morning, we will serve a veggie lunch as a way to celebrate our time together, getting to know each other, or simply enjoy a tasteful lunch quietly.

15:00 – 17:30 Galaxy Talk
Galaxy Talk is an open, non-judgemental and curious conversation featuring a doctor, a midwife, a sociologist and an artist. What place is there for emotions in healthcare? How do they deal with «death» and «grief» in the context of pregnancy interruptions (spontaneous or voluntary) or loss? Galaxy Talk wants to be a space where we learn from each other’s experiences and where different perspectives can coexist.

These experts have confirmed:

• Mahoro Karera is a midwife in hospital environment in Brussels, she works in the department of neonatology.
• Anne-Sophie Crossetti is a sociologist. Her research project focuses on the “pro-life” movements in Belgium, France and Ireland, from an international and socio-historical perspective. More generally, her research lies at the crossroads of the sociology of gender, sexuality and religion.
• a doctor (tba)
• an artist (tba)

This talk will take place in Dutch, English en French, with whispered translation when necessary.

Free, after registration

20:15 Performance MOTHERBABY by Marieke&Sophia