Emily van Lidth de Jeude
(dis)robe: Maternity Wear
reclaimed and altered gown
2018
This wedding gown came to me with its own history of loss and disappointment in marriage and mothering. I then altered, painted and embellished it to explore the choice mothers make to give our bodies in service of our children. This reclaimed wedding gown includes a gang of painted toddlers climbing up the train, a built-in satin baby-carrier on the back, a plethora of hanging pacifiers, and a torn-open bodice from which protrudes a pregnant belly painted with the hands and face of an escaping, screaming mother. The model in this image was a passionate, loving single mother who struggled greatly with poverty and stigma before losing her life when her child was still young.
As a social practice artist I work to promote social engagement; to open communication about issues of humanity and social change. I am an artist because I feel deeply compelled to move others and to change the culture we share. My work usually combines painting, story or song, installation, and interactivity. I create spaces where people can engage with their own experiences, feelings, and connection with others.
I consider myself a feminist installation artist, working through art and education to give authentic voice to others. I also come from a line of traditional female ballad-singers, having been raised in and carried on a tradition of storytelling with song. Therefore much of my work is interview-based, and many of my materials are reclaimed, having a history of use by women, children, and families. Feminism is not only for the emancipation of women; through liberating and respecting ourselves as change-makers we can open the doors for the empowerment of everyone.
My work is about identity and belonging, and I seek to break open the stories of my subjects’ lives in such a way that viewers of the work can access their own stories.
