Bedia Zeynep Çakar , born in Turkey, has a Master’s degree in Architecture and Environmental Design. She graduated from Hacettepe University, and is continuing her PhD at Yildiz Technical University, at the Department of Art and Design. She is also a lecturer at Ege University Graphic Design Department. She has participated in international exhibitions and symposiums and illustrated 6 books for children with special needs.
"The virgin mother of the nonsense world, creation of chaos not understood" “I went through a process that made me internalize this period, stay calm, face and produce a little bit of life. Life is short and can change in a moment. We need to see how precious every moment is"
The Virgin, 2020, is a series of paintings that represents the chaos experienced throughout the pandemic, the lockdown, quarantine, femicides and fires. For Zeynep, the series depicts "the virgin mother of the nonsense world, creation of chaos not understood". This has led to internal closure where one shuts in, fearing the loss of loved ones, feeling anxious and helpless. While Zeynep experienced this turbulent emotional state, she decided to be hopeful: “I went through a process that made me internalize this period, stay calm, face and produce a little bit of life. Life is short and can change in a moment. We need to see how precious every moment is". For Zeynep, her art revived her and spiralled into the discovery of new creative expressions.
Women of science have often used crocheting and clothes stitching to help understand complex scientific processes and facts. This was the case of pioneering French midwife Angélique du Coudray (1712-1794) who created a mannequin of textiles to teach trainee midwives on all steps of properly attending childbirth. At that time, female midwives were barred from medical studies. In 1759, du Coudray published a midwifery manual “Abrégé de l’art des accouchements” illustrating important manoeuvres to preserve the safety of women and their new-borns at the moment of birth.
Her trainees practiced various manipulations in mock births on the life-size obstetrical mannequin and were well prepared to handle dangerous situations, such as with twins and breech presentation. Du Coudray succeeded against the opposition of male surgeons when Louis XV recognized that she was instrumental to reducing chid mortality and commissioned her to travel across France to teach the art of midwifery. She taught thousands of students and even male medical doctors and became a symbol of French medical progress.
