Gut Feelings - Sarah Dixon's SURGE III Artist Residency Workshop Report

Sarah Dixon is working with UCL Research Fellow Ryman Hashem to explore the impacts of extreme pregnancy sickness, with a group of participants who had experienced this condition in diverse ways.

Ryman is building soft stomach robots that can be used to examine the way the stomach works , in order to improve medical interventions in the gut. Inspired by Ryman’s research, Sarah made a connection with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), or extreme pregnancy sickness, which affects approximately 3% of people in pregnancy.

Background

The Workshop

We had many people respond to our call out for participation with sharing of some very traumatic histories including termination for medical reasons (TFMR), PTSD and surgical treatments for the damage done by the condition. In the event, just 4 people attended the workshop in London, which gave those present a lot of space for sharing stories and connecting. Among them were a researcher, a Detective Inspector, a lawyer and a midwife.

We observed Ryman’s stomach robot, carefully delivered by taxi to the workshop space, as it modelled emesis. Because the robot model is transparent we could see the intensity and speed of the muscular contraction. One participant said “seeing the robotic model of the stomach throwing up was so interesting and shocking as someone who had to do it 15-20 times a day!”

Participants made artworks, using a variety of materials in the space, and over lunch the sharing of stories grew deeper. We decided to record some audio to use in the film we are making for the project.

Several of the artworks included words, the things people had said to them or things they had been feeling or thinking. One participant made a map of her commute to work, marked with the place where she had been sick on the way. Another took one of our blank matryoshka nesting dolls and painted it carefully as a Diet Coke because that was one of the few substances she could consume during her HG experience.

The researchers at the workshop who hadn’t experienced HG discovered that it was more serious and intense than they had realised. One comparison was made to having severe food poisoning, and realising

that with pregnancy the sickness at this level can continue for weeks. There is also a form of HG called “dry” hyperemesis which is extreme and debilitating nausea but with less emesis. All participants spoke of how little the condition was understood, whether by family, healthcare professionals or even themselves. It can be hard to understand what is happening when we have not had any education or expectation around this experience, and there is sometimes a sense of the meaning of pregnancy and having a child being challenged or changed.

Creative Production

We are now gathering the materials, inputs, images and audio, and exploring the use of the stomach robot and static models to generate a film for display and sharing. There will also be a sculptural installation at the Lethaby window gallery using some of the plastic sheeting we had to protect the workshop floors from the art materials.

Participant feedback and quotes

“Loved speaking to other women that had been through the same experiences- it was very cathartic.” - Workshop participant

“Thank you for giving us the space to come together” - Workshop participant

“Thank you for doing this research - it’s made me quite emotional thinking that you’re developing your time and resources to it” - intended participant