The performance piece Invisible Targets critically examines how pregnant bodies are treated within the Western healthcare system. Specifically, it addresses the experiences of women who have suffered a stillbirth. The work weaves together movement, storytelling, and objects to bring these narratives to life.
In this devised solo performance, the narrative unfolds as the story of a grieving mother attempting to unravel the events that emerge during her hospital stay, where her child was stillborn. This performance juxtaposes the stark realities of the medical healthcare system with the intimate journey of a bereaved mother navigating societal stigma.
This performance piece is the outcome of my practice-based performance research which investigates how performance might help to understand the expropriation of the pregnant body within Western healthcare systems. The piece, and its process, were informed by the Ockenden Review as well as a report by the UK-based charity Mother’s Voices and auto-ethnographic experiences. The Ockenden Review is an investigation of two maternity wards in England published in 2022 which demonstrates a devastating picture of how pregnant subjects are treated within the healthcare system. The report by Mother’s Voices explores maternity and healthcare in low- income households from diverse backgrounds.
Audience reaction
'Timna’s performance was powerful and inspiring expressed through physical theatre. The themes of grief were performed with such sensitivity and deep emotion, it really moved me.' - Diana D.
‘Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass mir die Tränen kommen werden. Die Darstellerin hat es geschafft, dass ich mich so lebendig in die Tragödie hineinfühlen kann. Ich musste sehr lange auch darüber nachdenken, wie ich besser hätte handeln können, als meine Freundin den Tod ihres Kindes erleben musste.’ - Anonymous A.