Carrying Life: Motherhood and water in Malawi
Laura El-Tantawy
Commissioned by WaterAid and part-funded by the Wimbledon Foundation, this exhibition celebrates the dignity and strength of women in Ntchisi district, Malawi, whilst also drawing attention to the stark reality of giving birth without access to the basic essentials of clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene, leaving mothers and babies at risk of deadly infections.
From dangerous walks for water to unsafe childbirth, the photographs and stories provide an intimate insight into the physical and psychological burdens for women living without clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.
Through their strength and collective struggle, we see the tender moments that keep life flowing in the most difficult circumstances.
Laura El-Tantawy
In this exhibition, Laura applies her distinctive style to women’s relationships – with their children, each other and with nature. By capturing emotional gestures and expressions, Carrying Life evokes the anxiety and resolve of women in Malawi as they walk for water at night while pregnant, or go into labour at clinics without clean water and decent toilets. Laura’s images convey the women’s physical and emotional strength in these moments, and reveal their deep intimacy as they support each other and care for their families.
“In Carrying Life, I wanted to explore through images the emotional toll it takes on women to wake up daily and worry about where to get water – to feel the burden that your life and your family’s life is dependent on a bucket of water and its source.” Laura El-Tantawy
York Place
Brighton
BN1 4GU
Map
4 October–25 November
Monday 07:00–07:00
Tuesday 07:00–07:00
Wednesday 07:00–07:00
Thursday 07:00–07:00
Friday 07:00–07:00
Saturday 07:00–07:00
Sunday 07:00–07:00
