A photography exhibition highlighting the inner workings of a maternity unit has gone on display at West Middlesex University Hospital, Isleworth.
James Clifford Kent, photographer and lecturer in Visual Culture at Royal Holloway, University of London, captured the 14 black and white photos while shadowing the team at the hospital’s Queen Mary Maternity Unit.
Kent’s inspiration for the project, titled Maternity, came from a photograph he took when his wife Charley gave birth to their daughter at the unit during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as well as W. Eugene Smith’s 1951 photo essay, Nurse Midwife, which was published in LIFE magazine.
He said: “Birth is a shared experience and it’s something we’ve all been through, and the pandemic was also a shared experience, so I felt that this resonated with everyone.
“I saw Smith’s documentation of a nurse-midwife called Maude Callen in South Carolina in the 1950s, and specifically the image of a birth, and I thought this is what I want to do.”
It was through Smith’s images that Kent was able to share his vision with the team at the Queen Mary Maternity Unit, and recalls laying the prints out on a hospital bed which attracted the attention of many around him.
“Before I knew it, the room went from a couple of midwives looking at the photos, to being full of people.
“Pretty much right there and then everyone understood what I was doing and what I wanted to do.”
Kent, who is the son of an NHS nurse, has collaborated and worked alongside the unit’s staff before, and his photograph of Osaeloke Osakwe, Consultant Obstetrician and Labour Ward Lead at West Middlesex University Hospital was awarded the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Humanity prize in June of this year.
The project was also commissioned by the world-leading medical journal, The Lancet, and has featured in The Times.
View this post on InstagramOsakwe’s presence in the project is also deeply personal for Kent, as the obstetrician had supported his wife in the weeks leading up to his daughter’s birth, and ensured she felt comfortable and listened to during her pregnancy.
A key aspect of the project is to celebrate those working in maternity care and highlight the often overlooked aspects of such work.
To replicate this, Kent put himself into the day to day life of a healthcare worker, spending about two weeks in total at the hospital and shadowing the team for up to 12 hours a day.
He said: “It became such a collaborative project because I was really getting to know people, and witnessing all of the humanity, fragility and resilience that comes with bringing new life into the world.”
Osakwe, who realised he wanted to be an obstetrician when he observed his mother, who is a midwife living in Nigeria, helping women give birth, also spoke of the important role played by those working in maternity care.
He said: “My aim is to ensure that every person coming through the unit receives the best care possible, and that personal and cultural preferences are acknowledged and incorporated in their care.
“It is our role as healthcare professionals to keep service users safe, while making sure they feel valued and respected throughout every step of their journey.
“At West Middlesex, our maternity team feels like a family which is why as a team leader, I ensure that everyone feels seen, heard and valued so that we can continue to provide the very best care as we bring new life into the world each day.”
Victoria Cochrane MBE, Director of Midwifery at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, praised Kent’s work, saying: “It is fantastic to see these powerful images highlight the reality of a maternity unit and the dedication and passion of our staff that shines through.
“Many of our staff were even born on the maternity unit themselves, have had family members born here or have worked here for decades.”
The exhibition is funded by a grant from CW+, the official charity of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The prints will be shown at West Middlesex University Hospital until 14 October and will then become a part of CW+’s extensive art collection to be displayed permanently in the Queen Mary Maternity Unit.
Featured image credit: James Clifford Kent
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