The journey to motherhood and beyond is rarely a straight line. Neither are birthing stories, each shaped by profoundly personal experiences of hopes and expectations as parents navigate a new world of hospitals, maternity wards and suites, with mixed feelings and outcomes.
In our Melbourne studio, registered architect and published architectural illustrator, Jaslyn Ng, reflected on her own experiences delivering her three children in hospital, inspiring her to create a project showcasing diversity and authenticity.
“I see hospital as a gateway or a symbol of starting one’s motherhood journey, almost comparable to racing - when you see the start lights/gunshots signalling the starting point of the race. Once I was in the hospital and endured the clinical hospital procedures, I was officially starting my clock as a mother or entering motherhood, and it felt great,” Jaslyn says.
Her project, the ‘Map to Motherhood’ series, saw her interview several women from various studios and draw an illustration mapping their birthing story. Her drawings represent each mother as they access hospitals, have good and bad journeys, plus different scenarios including multi-birth twins, peri-loss and pregnancy. In each, branches represent the deep connection between mother and baby, while subtle symbols add personal touches, such as wings, emojis and thought bubbles.
“These incredible stories are a poignant reminder of the importance of listening and understanding end users, because they understand how to best create the spaces having experienced them firsthand. This then benefits everyone involved in these projects, and creates stronger design outcomes,” she says.
Jaslyn’s goal is to provide greater support for women working in design and architecture, at a time when many leave the field around qualification or at the onset of motherhood. With Parlour reporting that women ‘at the level of influence are increasingly visible, but still proportionately at lower levels than men’, the opportunity is to empower women currently working in the industry, with their insight and expertise a powerful inspiration to deliver better design for all.
