ANGELA STAROSTA
Lactation Anatomy Phoenix, Angela Starosta, Borosilicate glass, 12 x 12 x 8 in.
It is a dome-shaped glass object just shy of a cubic foot. It is far from solid and contains very uneven, organic lines and the glass bears the marks of having been repaired and rebuilt. From the side it is leggy and gangly, like a long-leg spider with 20ish clear legs, but those legs support the higher, central unit like the vaulted ceiling of a cathedral. A few of the leg-like structures split like the stem of a cherry, which is particularly apt because at the bottom of each leg is a roundish object. They are red and tan swirled tightly together. The color-swirled glass is coiled to form a oblongish shape and speckled with clear dots. From the top view, it resembles a flower-like shape. It is topped with what is essentially an areola and nipple, constructed of tan and red glass swirled together. It is the lactation anatomy of a breast.
This started out with the intent to express the beauty and complexity of the also super-functional and nurturing anatomy of lactation. But along the way, my kids have shattered it... Twice. And I've re-worked and re-assembled it twice. And if that isn't a perfect reflection of motherhood shifting and remaking us over and over as we go along, I'm really not sure what it is. So, it's a little extra gnarly and worse for the wear, but aren't we all? And it's still functional and nurturing and... Beautiful.
I am an autistic mother and primary caregiver to 3 autistic children. Bringing my kiddos earthside and caring for them has been medically complicated and fraught with trauma and invalidation by providers and required an awful lot of advocacy on my part. Unsurprisingly, childbirth, lactation, autism (and it's co-morbidities), and advocacy have become special interests of mine and are how I spend a great deal of my time. First and foremost as caregiver and primary advocate for my children, but also as a doula and IBCLC with Pittsburgh Birth Nerd. I've always been a "crafty" sort, but I began working with glass last summer (it was a mother's day gift!) And have been Loving exploring this medium and making birth things.