Pregnancy – Performance
Home / / Here

Pregnancy

Performance: 10 days in the City of Dublin, Ireland,  2014

 

Chun Hua Catherine Dong was pregnant and she locked herself in a dog cage for six hours in a public space in the city of Dublin in 2014
Chun Hua Catherine Dong was pregnant and she locked herself in a dog cage for six hours in a public space in the city of Dublin in 2014
Chun Hua Catherine Dong was pregnant and she locked herself in a dog cage for six hours in a public space in the city of Dublin in 2014
Chun Hua Catherine Dong was pregnant and she locked herself in a dog cage for six hours in a public space in the city of Dublin in 2014
Chun Hua Catherine Dong was pregnant and she locked herself in a dog cage for six hours in a public space in the city of Dublin in 2014
Chun Hua Catherine Dong is at Abortion Rights Campaign Ireland 2014, she held an picture of a woman in a dog cage, and matched with many women to support Abortion Right.
Chun Hua Catherine Dong is at Abortion Rights Campaign Ireland 2014, she held an picture of a woman in a dog cage, handed it to pedestrians, and matched with many women to support Abortion Right.
Chun Hua Catherine Dong is at Abortion Rights Campaign Ireland 2014, she held an picture of a woman in a dog cage, and matched with many women to support Abortion Right.
Chun Hua Catherine Dong is at Abortion Rights Campaign Ireland 2014, she held an picture of a woman in a dog cage, and matched with many women to support Abortion Right.
Chun Hua Catherine Dong is at Abortion Rights Campaign Ireland 2014, she held an picture of a woman in a dog cage, and matched with many women to support Abortion Right.
Pregnancy is a 10-day durational performance that took place in Dublin. I was invited to attend Dublin Live Art Festival in September 2014. Since the day I landed to Dublin, I transformed myself to a pregnant woman.  I was like that wherever I went and whatever I did in public.  I locked myself in a dog cage in a public space for six hours. I also attended Abortion Rights Campaign Ireland on September 27,2014, and marched with 5000 people.  This performance ended at Dublin airport where I left Dublin.

Pregnancy is a response to a story about a pregnant, suicidal rape victim fought Ireland’s new abortion law, published on “The Guardian” on August 18, 2014. However, unfortunately, the law won, and this 18-year-old girl was denied an abortion. She went on hunger strike. The baby was eventually delivered via C-section.  This young girl is just an example. In fact, there are thousands of Irish women travel to UK to have abortion every year under Ireland’s anti-abortion laws, only if the women can afford to £400 to £2,000 for its costs.

Abortion is a very important issue for me to explore:  while legal abortion is not given to women in Ireland because it is believed that abortion is against humanity and the law. In China where I was born, it is totally opposite. Women are forced to give abortion because of the government’s One-Child-Policy.  This work is a response for this controversial issue, striving not to make political comments but trying to raise visibility of bodily rights: every woman should have the rights to control/ make decision about her own body, have the rights to be health regardless of age, race, income or geography.

After coming back home, I felt tremendous sense of lose, 10 day experience of being a pregnant woman really made me believe that “baby” was part of me. It felt so beautiful of being a pregnant woman, and I appreciate that I have had a chance lived like that for 10 days. 

photo credit: Róisín Murphy and Fi Killeen

Chun Hua Catherine Dong acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts

Copyright Chun Hua Catherine Dong 2022. All Rights Reserved.