“Mother, Body, and Weather: An Artistic Exploration of Transcending the Physical Experience of Motherhood” presented by Cochrane, Sun, Carlson, Lantin and Schiphorst

Mother, Body, and Weather: An Artistic Exploration of Transcending the Physical Experience of Motherhood

(Long paper)

Keywords: Video, art installation, Experience Prototyping, Rasaboxes, RSVP Cycles, ritual, improvisation, Bodyweather, dreams, embodiment, performativity.

Echoes of Balance and Push is an immersive video art installation that explores how a new mother’s daily life relates to tumultuous and unpredictable experiences of weather. This paper describes an interdisciplinary collaboration between the authors, who are artists and researchers. The researchers in tandem with the artist explored the creative process and experience of viewing Echoes of Balance and Push. Through the lens of an iPhone, an improvisatory experience of maneuvering a large weather balloon in the open elements creates the environment for exploring struggle in relationships to motherhood. We describe the design process and results of the work through concepts of Experience Prototyping: using methods of Rasaboxes, RSVP Cycles, ritual interaction, improvisation, and Bodyweather performances. Echoes of Balance and Push presents an exploration of improvisatory performance art through a perspective of design prototyping in order to highlight the creative process of a sensorial-based art practice.