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A while ago, someone asked why use the word “matrescence” for this project. The term was first used by American anthropologist Dana Raphael in 1973 to describe the developmental process of becoming a mother. It encompassing the periods of “pre-conception, pregnancy and birth, surrogacy or adoption, to the postnatal period and beyond… The scope of the changes encompasses multiple domains – bio-psycho-social-political-spiritual” (Dr. Aurélie Athan, matrescence.com). There is an obvious connection between my own recent matrescence into parenthood and the body of work created, expanded upon, and presented in this outdoor installation. At the same time, it is a gateway to an even more universal phenomenon — who we become, and how the process of becoming changes us. Matrescence may seem like an exclusively parent-focused or female-focused word, but I argue that it doesn’t have to be. (The English language is littered with male-centric language that is purportedly “universal.”) It is a jumping-off point for examining the interior process of any major change — starting a family, entering a graduate program, writing a book, transitioning into a new identity, or even grieving the loss of a child or the children you never had. At the same time exhilarating and exhausting, something is always lost when something else is gained (and vice versa). It is about acknowledging the grief of letting go, and looking to something bigger than ourselves — the forces of nature and the wisdom of the earth — for hope, solace, and rest in times of upheaval. As we move deeper into the seasons of autumn and winter, I hope that you are finding comfort in retreat; coziness in spaces of contemplation; and creativity in the darkness. I hope this project speaks to you as it does to me, as a call for further connection, questioning, and collective healing.
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