CREATE: The Art of Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond, is a free art exhibition running from 17th to 27th January at St Peters Cork. Developed by the HRB Mother and Baby Clinical Trial Network and their partners INFANT Centre at UCC, the CREATE exhibition spotlights pregnancy and newborn journeys, the people who make them,and the research that impacts them.
Picture Clare Keogh
The pregnancy and neonatal journey can be beautiful and scary, joyous and heart breaking and always unique. It can be miraculous, frustrating, sought after or unexpected. It can be straightforward, or it can wind and twist through our lives. We think of it as nine months, but it can be years of trying. It can end unexpectedly. It can resonate for decades afterwards.The CREATE exhibition touches on topics like perinatal mental health, bereavement and pregnancy loss, IVF, prematurity, labour and birth experiences, and breastfeeding, as well as exploring how health research helps women and newborns.
Speaking at the launch of the CREATE Exhibition in Cork, Prof Geraldine Boylan INFANT Director said, “INFANT is delighted that we have the opportunity to host CREATE at St. Peters, Cork and to showcase the exhibition to our local community. It is wonderful to see scientists, physicians and artists working together, to share knowledge and to create new ways of seeing and communicating research. INFANT is proud to be part of the HRB Mothers and Babies Clinical Trial Network as our centre echoes the commitment of the network to put women and children at the heart of our research.”
Picture: Clare Keogh
In this exhibition, the HRB Mother and Baby Clinical Trial Network,a network of obstetricians,the network which brings experts from seven of the largest maternity hospitals in Ireland together are focusing on improving the health and lives of mothers and babies in Ireland and around the world. INFANT a world-leading perinatal research centre based in Cork University Maternity Hospital and at the University College Cork co-leads the network. INFANT has a national and international focus and is continuously developing innovative technologies to improve the treatment and care available to mothers and babies worldwide.The centre has a unique blend of biomedical research and clinical application that helps it tackle problems that arise during and just after pregnancy, when mother and child are at their most vulnerable.
The exhibition provides a safe, non-judgmental space to explore these issues and listen, through new and existing artworks, to the experiences of women and the doctors, midwives and researchers who care for them.
Picture; Clare Keogh
The exhibition will run until the 27th January, and local breastfeeding groups in particular are invited to meet in the Gallery and explore the exhibition.
The full list of artworks and events is available at hrb-mbctni.ie/create
