Creative Workshops: Understanding Childbearing Through Sociology and Art

【Update】We've added four more weekend slots!

Project Info

Childbearing is often framed as a demographic trend or an economic choice, but for the individual, it is a life-altering existential milestone. This workshop invites you to move beyond traditional interviews and explore these complex narratives through the lens of Sociology and Art.

Supported by the Cambridge Reproduction Cross-disciplinary Projects Fund, the study integrates sociological inquiry with artistic practice to capture the complex narratives surrounding fertility. We recognise that some experiences are "pre-reflective", which exist in our emotions and bodies before we can find the words to describe them. By integrating collage-making with reflective dialogue, we aim to capture the affects and symbolic meanings that shape our reproductive lives.

Eligibility

To ensure the methodological integrity of our data collection, participation in this workshop is specifically open to adult women aged 18 and over.

All disciplines and backgrounds are welcome. No prior experience in art or creative practice is required, and all necessary materials will be provided.

Activities

Participants will be invited to a focused creative workshop facilitated by a professional artist. Necessary materials and refreshments will be provided.

During the session, you will:

• Explore the creative image-making process using collage and drawing.
• Produce a piece of artwork reflecting on experiences and thoughts related to fertility and reproduction.
• Engage in a sharing discussion about the artwork and related themes.

You will also be invited to the following exhibition and a roundtable event this summer, details to be confirmed.

About the Organisers

Hao Li is a PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge. Her research examines the role of childbearing in China, with a particular focus on how cultural norms and individual agency intersect in fertility decisions.

Nuode Li is an interdisciplinary visual artist, illustrator, and printmaker whose work explores themes of emotion, memory, individual experience, and the natural world.

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