Live birth... as performance art?

[nuthinbutpink]

A Brooklyn artist invites spectators to observe her baby's arrival. But does giving birth in a gallery make it art?

A pregnant New York City performance artist has arranged to have her baby in an art gallery, while an audience watches. The artist, Marni Kotak, plans to spend every day over the next six weeks at the Microscope Gallery in Brooklyn — which has been transformed into a "birthing room," complete with inflatable birthing tub — until the baby comes. Kotak, who will be attended by a midwife and doula, says the performance, "The Birth of Baby X," will show that "giving birth, the greatest expression of life, is the highest form of art." Is childbirth really art?

This is child abuse, not art: Kotak should be ashamed of the way she's putting her artistic vision ahead of the health and safety of her baby, says L.S. Carbonell at Lez Get Real. Baby X deserves to be born into a warm, safe place, not a public environment full of germs, and the midwife and doula "should have their licenses revoked" for enabling this "self-centered" jerk. "This is as much a case of child abuse as beating a kid with a stick."

"Childbirth as performance art"

Performance art is all about pushing boundaries: Physical feats and the sharing of intimate body functions are central to the history of performance art, says Ceridwren Morris at Babble. "Artists have slept, stared, stood still... there's been plenty of nudity, blood and sweat. Chris Burden shot his own arm in a flesh-ripping, seminal piece." The visceral act of giving birth in a gallery "fits in with this particular trajectory."

"Performance artist will give birth in Bushwick art gallery"

But what about the poor kid? "You know things are going to get interesting when performance artists get pregnant," says Jen Carlson at Gothamist. Even if you're a bit squeamish, "we urge you to go" — if not out of respect for Kotak's art, at least to "donate money for this child's future therapy."

Here's the nub shot if anyone wants to guess!
babyx.jpg

[DoulaMama]

Weird. I'm all for "out of hospital" births......but this is just weird. Plus, birth is a private event for me and my hubby. There's no way I could have any sort of audience. To each their own I guess....

[rainbowflower]

I don't see anything wrong with that - it's no weirder than those who have their births shown on TV IMO, and I'm sure she wouldn't go ahead if she wasn't low risk. No doubt they've made the place quite clean for her, and her staying there quite a lot in the run up to the birth will mean she'll already be used to the "germs" that are there and so the baby will be getting some of that immunity through her already. If she's getting a pool and such it could be quite "comfortable".

It's not something I'd choose to do, but then some women choose to give birth with the dolphins and that wouldn't be for me either. Personally I'd prefer to do that than have a hospital birth again in future too because I didn't like the clinical aspect to it and all the monitoring and restrictions.

oh, and looks like a hint of a girl nub to me!

[TTC5]

Not my thing, but meh each to their own hey... I am guessing girl.

[alianaL]

I find this topic a bit weird, but still something interesting to talk about. I've read several articles about this, please allow me to share it here. The Village Voice claims eight-months-pregnant performance performer Marni Kotak, 36, will soon have a baby before a live audience at the Microscope Gallery in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Spectators are, in the New York location, scrambling to look at Kotak’s live birth performance. Article source: Live birth performance art coming to New York gallery.

[ELP]

1st labor, in public, are you kidding! Pictures of you pooping yourself all over youtube??? Is she going for natural birth??

[Flava]

Im sure she don't have any kids yet so no idea how is that to give birth or she would not do it lol.
Other that that if the place is clean and safe the there is not much different from a home birth or birth center ect. (minus the audience lol)
On the pic I don't think I see a nub.Head look like boy so i guess boy.

[rainbowflower]

lol not everyone has a bad experience for their first birth! I didn't!

[DoulaMama]

I agree with the germ thing...cannot be worse than a hospital surrounded by sick people.
I just feel that birth is a private event and after having 2 home births, I can't imagine sharing something like that with strangers. Especially if you feel like being loud etc but may get embarrassed to let it all hang out in front of these people. I wonder how she'll feel about it when it's all said and done. Who knows, she may have a beautiful experience! I hope she does

[ELP]

lol not everyone has a bad experience for their first birth! I didn't!

I don't mean it's going to be bad but more ??? eye opener! I'd read the books, but man!!I just wasn't prepared for the reality lol, I was like a kid in a car ride 'Am I nearly there yet?' 'No' 'Am I nearly there now?' 'NO!!!'