I think an interesting thing about this sculpture, and I wonder if it was done intentionally, is that it is unsettling no matter what arena of birth you are coming from. If you are a natural birth supporter, you see the mother laying flat on her back, she isn't even semi reclined, and this is what you zero in on right away. Some also see the lack of emotion and her not touching the baby as unsettling. I think if you were a person who was used to the mainstream way of giving birth, you would zero in on the messy baby laying on it's mom, and not wrapped in a blanket with no hat on it's head, the umbilical cord still attached and wonder why nobody is cutting that thing, and the presence of only the mother and baby and wonder where is the doctor that is delivering that baby and why aren't there any monitors or anything around? One thing I read about this sculpture said that the sculpture depicts a woman seconds after giving birth. I thought about why it said "seconds" instead of moments, or minutes, and then realized that it was likely because the cord was still attached which is highly unsettling to most people who don't know the benefits of leaving it attached. I think the artist succeeded in a making a very provocative piece, no matter who was the person looking at it. I wonder if that was accidental or intentional. I haven't been able to find any comments anywhere that he himself made about the piece.
