Ruth
Schreiber

A ritual object for my pregnant daughter

Papier mâché and gold leaf 10x35x35cm

 

I have designed a piece to hold a distillation of some of my thoughts towards my daughter, who is expecting her first child. In particular, I seek to give expression to a kind of watchful responsibility that I feel, and the work is intended as an initiation piece or mark of passage as my daughter moves into the next phase of her life. She is already an individual, a Jew, a woman and a wife, and she is soon to become a mother. 

For these 5 areas of life I have created a set of nesting plates that are out of balance, symbolising the difficulty of holding all aspects of life appropriately aligned all the time. As one area gains dominance, another shifts to the background, and of the 5, motherhood offers the greatest challenge of all.

I have chosen as symbols an eye, to represent the individual, the innermost identity; a pair of candlesticks to represent Judaism; a bra to represent womanhood; a wedding ring to symbolise marriage; and a baby stroller as a token of motherhood, the latest and outermost identity.

I do not expect to teach my daughter anything that she does not already know, but I do hope to encourage her with the insight that the balance between these identities changes all the time, and that that is alright. 

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