https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93qv217d5lo
Publication details
Published by BBC News on 17 November 2024, the article was written by Aisha Iqbal, reporting from Bradford. It covers the unveiling of the Holding Time Chair in Bowling Park, created as the culmination of a project in which mothers explored their infant feeding experiences through poetry workshops, portrait sessions and interviews.
Archive description
BBC News reports on the unveiling of the Holding Time Chair in Bowling Park, Bradford. The 2.5-tonne Ancaster stone sculpture was developed through The Holding Time Project with Better Place and sculptor Dan Jones. Designed as a functional seat, it invites parents to breastfeed, rest and connect in public space while challenging stigma and cultural barriers. Mothers involved in the project described the wider creative process as healing, reflective and empowering.
Key impact / relevance summary
The article positions the sculpture as the public culmination of Holding Time’s Bradford work, moving the project from workshops, interviews and portraiture into permanent public space. Lisa Creagh describes the central aim as overcoming cultural barriers to breastfeeding and honouring motherhood, attachment and the maternal experience.
It also highlights the importance of co-creation. Sculptor Dan Jones developed the work over a year with significant input from nursing mothers, while participants such as Reena Kler, Sophie Hughes and Mahum Fatima described the wider project as a space for reflection, healing and open discussion around breastfeeding trauma, pressures and support.