1st July- 12th September 2022
Works from the first two Holding Time Projects are on show at MC Gallery in Wolverhampton over the summer as academics from Wolverhampton University study the impact of the project on attitudes to breastfeeding.
Holding Time at MC Gallery, Wolverhampton: Art, Breastfeeding and Social Change
Exploring how photography, animation and mothers’ stories can challenge cultural barriers to breastfeeding.
From 1 July to 12 September 2022, the Holding Time Project presented an exhibition at MC Gallery in Wolverhampton, bringing together photographic portraits, moving images and recorded interviews with breastfeeding mothers.
Created by artist Lisa Creagh, Holding Time explores the cultural, emotional and social experiences of breastfeeding through participatory artistic practice. The exhibition featured works developed with mothers in Nottingham, Coventry, Brighton and Liverpool, reflecting the diversity of maternal experiences across the UK.
At the centre of the exhibition were the Mother Portraits: carefully composed photographic images of women breastfeeding their children, illuminated using lighting inspired by Renaissance painting. Each portrait was accompanied by a personal interview, allowing audiences to encounter the stories behind the images.
The exhibition also presented Holding Time’s distinctive stop-motion animations. Created using one photographic frame every four seconds, these moving portraits challenge conventional cinematic time, evoking the slower, intimate rhythms of breastfeeding and maternal care. An original piano composition by Helen Anahita Wilson accompanied the animations.
Art Meets Research
The Wolverhampton exhibition marked an important expansion of Holding Time’s interdisciplinary approach.
Working with the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Art and School of Psychology, the project began exploring how encounters with artistic representations of breastfeeding might influence public attitudes.
Researchers Dr Lisa Orchard and Dr Wendy Nicholls collaborated on evaluating the social impact of the project’s digital and physical exhibitions, using audience feedback to investigate the potential of art to challenge stigma and encourage cultural change.
The exhibition demonstrated how photography, storytelling, animation and academic research could work together to create new conversations about breastfeeding, motherhood and maternal wellbeing.
As part of Holding Time’s continuing development, the Wolverhampton programme contributed to a growing body of artistic practice and research investigating the role of creative health in public engagement and social transformation.
Update in 2026: work continued with a commission for Wolverhampton City Council. Watch this space for new portraits and podcasts from Wolverhampton breastfeeding mothers and birthing parents
Read here for more about Holding Time and Wolverhampton City Council