On Midwifing – the metaphor strikes back

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In Plato’s Theaitetos the literary figure Socrates enters into a dialogue with two male mathematicians to inquire about the essence of knowledge. He compares his technique of eliciting ideas through questioning with the work of a midwife: “I suspect that you are in labour. Come then to me, who I am a midwife, and the son of a midwife, and I will deliver you.” For this SAR conference, Cordula Daus expands on the podcast episode On Midwifing - the metaphor strikes back developed in collaboration with Charlotta Ruth: Two female artists grab hold of Socrates’ metaphor to ask a midwife what she really does when she assists another woman. Together they enter into a dialogue speaking from two parallel creation realms at the same time. On Midwifing - the metaphor strikes back looks at the entanglements between bodies and language, gestational and creative processes, and how we can possibly fictify and compose other temporalities in language-based art. This contribution focuses on playful questioning, listening, and confabulation, combining field research, artistic research, and performance.

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Too Early Too Late - Conference on Artistic Research

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