Pregnant Potentiality in Kimi Eisele’s “Perch”

Pregnant Potentiality in Kimi Eisele's "Perch"

Perch, Papercut by Kimi Eisele (2011)

Kimi Eisele’s papercut, Perch, shows a woman’s pregnant profile, within which stands a budding tree adorned with six perching birds.  A seventh bird lifts off, flying above the rest. This serene image is a reminder of the fertile potentiality intrinsic to a woman’s pregnant form.  The woman gently supports the bottom of her belly, her thumb caressing the base of the tree, encouraging the growth of new life from within.

Envisioning an internal landscape within the body can be a powerful aid in both pregnancy and birth.  The simple and tranquil landscape of Eisele’s work could be helpful as a visualization tool both in becoming pregnant and in nourishing life once conception has taken place, helping the pregnant woman to meditate on the powerful microcosmic world that she embodies.  The soaring bird could also be used to visualize birth itself.  The pregnant woman might imagine the journey ahead that she shares with her baby as her little one takes off, leaving the inner world of his or her mother, moving towards the open embrace of a mother’s arms.

Eisele has powerfully described the feelings of excitement that she experiences in contemplating and anticipating the potentiality of pregnancy and motherhood, 

I made Perch while thinking about the possibility of getting pregnant…the excitement of that thought, the feeling of rootedness I desire when imagining starting a family.  I’m not a spring chicken, so there’s also something in there about the kind of anticipation we can all feel at the prospect of something new…the way we might feel about new buds on a tree, or about all the things that can fill our lives, as creative powerful women.

Kimi Eisele is a multi-disciplinary artist with backgrounds in writing, dance, choreography, performance, directing, organizing and teaching.  More of her work may be viewed or she may be reached through her website or her blog.