Closing Of The Bones | Claire Murphy

Closing Of The Bones is a new 16mm film installation by Claire Murphy. The film is an exploration of childbirth by cultivating an environment that embraces the woman’s narrative and allows her story to resonate. The physicality of her journey is accentuated through meticulous care and attention devoted to her well-being. Through the act of sharing and establishing a nurturing and intimate space, women are empowered to assert ownership over their bodies and experiences.

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The Closing Of The Bones ceremony originates in South America and is performed on a new mother soon after giving birth to her child. This ritual provides a place of support and care for the new mother. It acknowledges the labour the woman’s body has gone through in growing and birthing a baby and promotes healing to help the mother ‘come back’ into herself energetically and physically from the birth experience. 

About the artist:

Artist Statement

My current practice examines motherhood through a feminist lens using personal and universal narratives. Through analogue photography and 16mm moving-image film my work explores the mundane moments of motherhood as well as its transformative power. Most recently I’m focusing on the woman’s experience of birth through ceremony. Questions arise around bodily autonomy and the flawed care system. However cultivating systems of compassion while giving preference to women’s narrative can be a catalyst for healing and systemic change.

Bio

Claire Murphy is a Cork-based visual artist and film-maker. She was selected to have her first solo exhibition Here Is Where I Am at The South Tipperary Arts Centre in 2021. Recently she collaborated with the artist Eszter Nemethi and the Traveller community to create an exhibition for Cork Midsummer Festival in 2023. She is a recipient of the Arts Council Visual Arts Bursary (2020/2021) the Agility Award in (2021/2023) and the Individual Artists Award from Cork City Council (2024). She has had many films selected for film festivals in Ireland and internationally, most recently her film To Be What We Are was selected for the 2023 Cork International Film festival.