Feeding Chair

2022 —

The Feeding Chair is a collaborative artwork, which invites parents and other carers to feed their babies and children in museums, galleries, libraries and other public venues. Decorated with artwork by Jade de Montserrat, it is an invitation for anyone to breast, chest or bottle feed their infant: to take up space and take their time.

The chair includes an iPad and speakers in the headrest. Sitters can listen to specially commissioned audio artworks by Magda Stawarska, Nicola Singh and Krissi Musiol, about feeding, resting and public space, or watch talks about infant feeding by cultural historian Dr. Joanna Wolfarth, Design Researcher Sally Sutherland and ‘Diversity in Infant Feeding’ founder Louise Oliver, which were recorded at the Feeding Futures event in 2022.

Shelving within the chair provides storage for children’s toys and books and copies of the Feed Zine.

The Feeding Chair has been exhibited at Talking Place symposium, Manchester (Sept 2022), Whitworth Gallery, Manchester (Nov 2022 - March 2023), Baby Change-Making, Lethaby Gallery, London (March 2023) and Lancashire Science Festival (May 2023).

Feed tour:

Photo of a young boy sitting on a large colourful chair, with a young girl and women standing behind.

The Feeding Chair at Watershed (image by Jon Aitken)

Between November 2023 and January 2026, the chair will tour to the following venues: The Tetley (Leeds), Leeds Art Gallery, Ikon (Birmingham), Watershed (Bristol), Woodend Gallery (Scarborough), Chapter Arts (Cardiff), Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library (Preston) and Gallery of Modern Art (Glasgow).

At each venue, the chair will be accompanied by a programme of creative activities and events, exploring issues of public space, gender and human milk.

The tour will also include:

— 7 creative and critical writing commissions published by Corridor8.
— An artist-in-residence project at Ikon.
— 3 new contemporary art commissions.

The Feed tour is funded by Arts Council England, University of Central Lancashire, Birmingham City Council and Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow.

The Feeding Chair was designed and fabricated by M3 Industries with Vicky Carr and Elaine Speight.

 
Woman sitting in a large orange chair in a gallery, with a baby on her knee.
Photo of the back of a large wooden chair, decorated with drawings and text 'Love is the Dream'. The chair is in an art gallery with black and white posters on the wall.
Image of large chair, decorated with drawings in a gallery with table and net curtain in the foreground.
Close up photo of the feeding chair, showing orange upholstery and an iPad in a white case with a flexible arm attached to the chair. The screen shows a picture of a breast made from chocolate and the works 'Feeding Futures'

Photos by Fiona Finchett. Modelled by Meysa and Razan (1,5,6,7)0, Rob Battersby, hosted by Leeds Art Gallery (3), Tod Jones, hosted by Ikon Gallery (2, 4).