Anamnesis
An Exhibition by Marie Brett
at
University Maternity Hospital Limerick
25 & 26 September 2014
Exhibition Opening
25 September 2014
The exhibition was opened by Cathy Halloran, RTE Mid West Correspondent; and hosted by Margaret Quigley, UMHL Director of Midwifery.
click to listen
Exhibition opening guests (from left to right)
Margaret Quigley, UMHL Director of Midwifery; Cathy Quinn, Consultant Midwife in Perinatal Bereavement; Helen, Amulet project participant; Cathy Halloran, RTE Mid West Correspondent; Clare Quinn with newborn baby, Amulet project participant; Maebh Barry, University of Limerick, Department of Nursing & Midwifery; Annette Moloney, Curator; Marie Brett, Artist and Sheila Deegan, Limerick City Council Arts Officer, pictured at the exhibition opening.
“There is significance for me, the exhibition being in a maternity hospital; a hospital that is a very busy working environment. I hope the artwork gives a window for reflection and for re-imagining loss, and in what is quite a hidden topic, that people are sometimes nervous to approach, I hope the artwork will enable a way in for people to discuss loss, and to expand a discussion in the country”
Marie Brett, Artist
Comments following Anamnesis at University Maternity Hospital Limerick
“Dear Marie, I really feel I will be a better Midwife, with more empathy and more understanding of how people feel when they have lost their baby. Thank you so much.”
“Moving, emotional, beautiful and inspiring … It made me cry, it made me smile, and made me think.”
“Dear Marie, I really feel very strongly about the work. Thank you for bringing this into the Mat, I feel the healing effect will be felt for many years to come.”
“Sad yet uplifting story.”
“Beautiful presentation of a very difficult topic. Well done.”
“An excellent insight into our world. Your life changes forever when you bury your child. On the outside you may seem the same – inside you see the world differently.
A moving and emotional experience to hear other mothers stories, and to be able to relate to them.”
“It was like I was sitting there, face to face, listening to the woman.”
“Marie, you have brought such beautiful calmness and serenity to our hospital through the Amulet exhibition; it is the most moving experience I have witnessed. Thank you.”
“I am in awe of what you have achieved. Keep going with this type of work – it is very necessary. We still have a lot of silence and secrecy in this country.”
“It is so important to allow healthcare workers understand the feelings and emotions of bereavement. Thank you.”
“A beautiful concept, so heart wrenching yet oddly soothing to hear the meaning behind the pictures. Thank you for sharing this with me.”
“Beautiful to listen to. Gives us an opportunity to reflect; truly listen.”
“The loss of any baby and its severity can never be under-estimated. The project re-iterates how important it is in our role as midwives to give every woman, her partner and family, the dignity, space and respect that they deserve in their time of loss. A fantastic work of art; it will aid in helping many grieving parents. Well done, I’m so glad you brought it to the University Maternity Hospital Limerick.”
“Great to get the opportunity to see and hear the stories. Excellent work.”
“What a beautiful project. In all the hurt and grief, this project has helped so many families and close friends move forward… It is so thoughtfully presented, so beautifully done.”
“Very moving and thought provoking.”
“A male perspective would also be invaluable.”
“A time to pause, a time to reflect, a time to remember.”
“Listening to these women’s stories and the positive outcome they have had, having their Amulet to focus their love and loving gestures on their babies, has been very moving. Without this piece of work, the significance of this precious talisman could be overlooked in the grieving process. It makes sense to have a physical item represent this time, but mores the sacredness of this items has been re-enforced for me through the exhibit.”
“Wonderful experience. A beautiful presentation.”
“It’s very brave to talk openly about such painful memories.”
“It was excellent to see an insight from the parents.”
“Very powerful and emotional. A wonderful exhibition.”
“Honest and open.”
“Lovely exhibition. Very sad but true to the heart.”
“Highlights the importance of the memories that families leave the hospital with, very moving.”
“I thought it was lovely to hear how some women in their stories were now able to see the positive and remember their little babies in a positive light.”
“This is an inspiring, beautiful experience, full of emotion – makes real the deep sense of loss in such a sensitive manner. Thank you, well done.”
“We must be better in the workplace, in every place, in acknowledging if a Mom’s baby dies, and in particularly with the Dad’s too. But what is it that stops us?. There are no formal rituals – if someone dies I can get information online of the removal or the mass, if a baby dies, it may not be like that. We have got to get out there and be of support to bereaved parents; but people are afraid of their own pain. The Amulet is fantastic for that reason. We are better off now, because of this artwork. There is something very special now, out there, public (the artwork), and as a result of this work, educating us, we will be, hopefully, better able to care for, and care about, Mothers and Fathers.”
” I am thrilled and honored to be here tonight. We congratulate you Marie, we are honored that you have come here to us and we wish you well; what you have produced is a tremendous work of art, and of great comfort for all of us. Well done Marie”
“This exhibition is about making infant bereavement visible … a dis-enfranchised group”
Photography by Marie Brett | PJ Corbett
University Maternity Hospital Limerick website