Ou Lin

This shot shows a seven-month pregnant woman running from one end of the frame to the other with a long exposure, the passage of the movement like a line. 

The viewer can still identify her body when she is on her journey. The whole journey of the continuous process looks tiresome and challenging. The focus is her movement (the pure motion blur), her journey (the passage of time), and the constant battle of being in balance.

There is a deliberate echo of Muybridge here, but Ou wants to show the continuous dynamic process of gestation and a sense of duration rather than individual action. 

There are two versions, each creating a narrative. One has the line generated by the woman’s movement, showing a kind of balancing of the physical body. The second has two lines of running and white markings, showing the physical, psychological and emotional state of maintaining balance.

The second line is a white flowing mark drawn on the wall with milk, cream and soft cheese by her hand while she is running. Some handprints show struggling and power. This is connected to the pregnant woman’s body and experience, as well as referencing aspects of Performance Art and Abstract Expressionism.

This work explores the expressive potentialities of the gestating body. Creating an emotional landscape of bravery in response to restrictive attitudes to the gestating body, it elevates the neglected sexuality, emotions and energies felt during pregnancy.