Looking forward to beginning my own Artist in Residence in Motherhood this month, with inspiration to more deeply reconnect with my photography and narrative writing as craft with themes of motherhood & mobility in focus
-Annika // January 2024
#artistresidencyinmotherhood
My entry point into beginning to really think about and experience issues of spatial equity and mobility justice was when I became a mother and began navigating cities with a stroller and baby.
A kind peer noted on one of my posts that “Bringing motherhood views to walkability discussion has been the hallmark of your career.“
Though I know that issues of spatial equity related to walkability affect much more diverse populations than parents and caregivers with strollers, it was by indeed moving around the city with a stroller that I became more aware of these issues, particularly from an equity and access perspective.
I was a photographer before I established @pedestrianspace in Spring 2020. But Pedestrian Space allowed me to begin to synthesize my photography, interest and work with issues of urbanism and public spaces with my own lived experience understanding walkability and wanting to communicate, co-learn and educate on a broader platform.
With interest in reconnecting to my photography craft, a passion born decades ago and woven deeply with my interest in urbanism, public space and the built environment, I began to look into short-term or virtual artist residencies.
As a mother of two young children, caring for them daily, I don’t have the ability, nor the interest, frankly, to try and figure out a way to apply for and go to a solo residency.
This quickly led me to look into parent and family-friendly residency, which led me to learn about the Artist Residency in Motherhood project.
Through my work I want to not only point out issues of accessibility & barriers that diverse populations face in environments but also celebrate best practices & how motherhood & time with my children enriches my perspective on how urban spaces can be engaging environments for diverse generations.
The Artist Residency in Motherhood project is “a self-directed, open-source artist residency to empower and inspire artists who are also mothers” dedicated to “reframing of parenthood as a valuable site for creative practice, rather than an obstruction to be overcome.”
As the Artist Residency in Motherhood founder Lenka Clayton noted: “As an Artist-in-Residence-in-Motherhood, the most important thing for me was understanding that I was not making work about motherhood, but out of it. The residency was simply a framework around things that were happening anyway.“
My residency will focus on: Motherhood, Mobility & the City. I plan to use this residency time to focus and capture the spirit of ‘mobility and motherhood’ that has inspired and grounded much of my work and reconnect to my photography and narrative writing craft.
My Artist Residency in Motherhood will last from January 26, 2024 to April 26, 2024. I am purposefully beginning the residency at the beginning of a trip with my two young children to the region where I was raised in January.
Beginning the residency ‘in motion’ and out of the framework of my daily routine is symbolic for me. After the visit, we will return to Poland where we currently live, where I will carry out the remainder of the residency.
ARTIST STATEMENT
For four months in 2024 I enter Artist Residence in Motherhood. The motivations are basic, connecting to deeper creative need to:
- Reconnect with photography as a craft
- Reconnect with camera as object and creative tool
- Reestablish narrative writing practice
- Produce content to structure further post-residency
- Shape content around issues of urban mobility, daily movement, memory and motherhood
Through my work, I want to not only point out issues of accessibility and barriers that diverse populations face in environments but also celebrate best practices and how motherhood and time with my children enrich my perspective on how urban spaces can be engaging environments for diverse generations.
As a researcher and artist, I am committed to documenting and cultivating awareness of barriers while also welcoming all opportunities to engage with the environment as a mother and human creatively.
Photo: NYC adventures with my toddler son
I look forward to more consciously and artistically documenting experiences of motherhood and urban mobility as well as circling back to many memories of moving around the city as a mother to young children that in part led to the genesis of Pedestrian Space and even my experience of and interest in the #15-minute city.
I look forward to more creatively and thoroughly documenting the barriers, past and present, that I observe and experience moving around the city as a mother and also delving into creative narration and photography of my interest, in some cases fascination, with cities and urbanism.
At the heart of the residency, is the intent to, as a mother, researcher and artist, welcome opportunities to engage with the urban environment creatively.
Visit the main Artist Residence in Motherhood page here
Check out Motherhood and Mobility posts for content to emerge from this Residency experience.