Bringing a baby into the world is a beautiful thing but is it art? A pregnant woman in New York thinks it is.
In fact, Marni Kotak plans on delivering her baby inside an art gallery as a piece of performance art. The 36-year-old performance artist has created a home-birth center at the Microscope Gallery. The mommy-to-be has brought in family pictures, photo-imprinted pillows, an inflatable birthing pool, and an air mattress for the midwife. Oh and a soundtrack of the ocean plays nonstop.
Kotak and her painter-husband, Jason Robert Bell, have been camped out since October 8th waiting for the "Birth of Baby X" (they don't know the sex of the baby).
The Brooklyn gallery has extended its hours and is open 7 days a week, so Kotak, as part of the project, can develop a rapport with members of the public who come to see the birth.
About 20 people a day stop by to talk to the expectant mommy and see the free exhibit. Visitors can leave contact information if they want to return for the birth, she doesn't want her audience to be total strangers. 15 people will be selected to be in the audience on the "big birthing day".
"I'm developing an authentic relationship with these people," she told the AP. "For me, it's like building a community of people who are really interested in this."
Kotak's husband will document everything. No other cameras or video will be allowed. In case of an emergency the gallery is down the street from a hospital.
She tells the AP she doesn't plan to talk to her audience. "However, I never know how a performance will progress and sometimes unexpected things happen," she said.
So how will they explain this performance birth to Baby X?
"The overall message that we will communicate to the child is that he or she was born in an art gallery because, as artists, that is our sacred space, and in doing this we are telling the world and our child that his or her life is a precious work of art," Kotak said.
What do you think: Can child birth be considered art? Would you go see the exhibition?
Get in on the dish. Send me your tweets: twitter.com/maggiesworld or emails: maggie@39online.com or comment on the Online Dish Facebook fan page.
And that's today's helping of Online Dish.
In fact, Marni Kotak plans on delivering her baby inside an art gallery as a piece of performance art. The 36-year-old performance artist has created a home-birth center at the Microscope Gallery. The mommy-to-be has brought in family pictures, photo-imprinted pillows, an inflatable birthing pool, and an air mattress for the midwife. Oh and a soundtrack of the ocean plays nonstop.
Kotak and her painter-husband, Jason Robert Bell, have been camped out since October 8th waiting for the "Birth of Baby X" (they don't know the sex of the baby).
The Brooklyn gallery has extended its hours and is open 7 days a week, so Kotak, as part of the project, can develop a rapport with members of the public who come to see the birth.
About 20 people a day stop by to talk to the expectant mommy and see the free exhibit. Visitors can leave contact information if they want to return for the birth, she doesn't want her audience to be total strangers. 15 people will be selected to be in the audience on the "big birthing day".
"I'm developing an authentic relationship with these people," she told the AP. "For me, it's like building a community of people who are really interested in this."
Kotak's husband will document everything. No other cameras or video will be allowed. In case of an emergency the gallery is down the street from a hospital.
She tells the AP she doesn't plan to talk to her audience. "However, I never know how a performance will progress and sometimes unexpected things happen," she said.
So how will they explain this performance birth to Baby X?
"The overall message that we will communicate to the child is that he or she was born in an art gallery because, as artists, that is our sacred space, and in doing this we are telling the world and our child that his or her life is a precious work of art," Kotak said.
What do you think: Can child birth be considered art? Would you go see the exhibition?
Get in on the dish. Send me your tweets: twitter.com/maggiesworld or emails: maggie@39online.com or comment on the Online Dish Facebook fan page.
And that's today's helping of Online Dish.
