Conceiving Histories

Isabel Davisis a Reader in the School of Arts at Birkbeck, University of London. She is currently researching un-pregnancy in the archives.Emma Cheatleis a Postdoctoral Research Fellow Newcastle University Humanities Research Institute. Her work examines the role of architecture in the changing understanding of the maternal body and maternity practices.

Dr Isabel Davis and Dr Emma Cheatle

Whether hoping for or fearing pregnancy, the wait to find out can be difficult. What was it like for people in the past, before home pregnancy testing was available? What hopes, fears, dreams and fantasies attended the wait historically? Explore the history of pre- and early pregnancy with artist Anna Burel, and literary historian, Isabel Davis. Conceiving Histories is a new dialogue between disciplines which discovers some of the creative possibilities of archival materials detailing the ambiguities of the un- or just-pregnant body. At this Being Human Festival event, we will explore two extraordinary case studies through short historical talks and contemporary artwork: a strange eighteenth-century fashion for simulating pregnancy and a dark nineteenth-century fantasy of an experiment which would solve the mysteries of conception.
This event will include contemporary artwork, short talks and a wine reception.
Please be aware that the artwork in this event tackles the emotive subject of the female body in relation to pregnancy. Some people may find the images that will be presented disturbing. Click <A HREF="http://www.annaburel.com/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">here</A> to see the character of the work, although not the specific images involved in this event. 
Day and time: Wednesday 23rd November 2016, 18:00-20:00. Venue: Senate House, Malet Street, London. WC1E 7HU. See the venue on a map at the bottom of this page. 
This event is part of the Being Human festival - the UK’s only national festival of the humanities. As our festival events are free, not everyone who asks for tickets come to our events. To make sure we have a full house, we allocate more tickets than there are seats. We do our best to get the numbers right, but unfortunately we occasionally have to disappoint people. Admission is on a first-come-first-served basis, so please arrive in good time for the start of the event.
This event is part of the <A HREF="http://beinghumanfestival.org/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Being Human Festival 2016</A>. The project <A HREF="http://www.bbk.ac.uk/conceivinghistories/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Conceiving Histories</A> is funded by Birkbeck, University of London and the Wellcome Trust. It is partnered by <A HREF="http://www.infertilitynetworkuk.com/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Fertility Network UK </A>and the <A HREF="http://birthritescollection.org.uk/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Birth Rites Collection</A>, in Salford.
 
Image: ©Anna Burel 2016

Senate House

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Conceiving Histories

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Conceiving Histories

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