Photo: © Anne Bevan/Michael Wolchover 2003

Taking some deep breaths, Kerry Patterson pulled on her white coat and headed to the Hunterian Museum.

Rosengarten, at the Hunterian Museum until April 17, is an exhibition of the most recent collaborative work by sculptor Anne Bevan and writer Janice Galloway.

The rather poetic title of the exhibition belies the content of this intriguing show, which consists of poetry and sculpture inspired by obstetric implements.

Although this description may be off-putting to some, the squeamish among you will be relieved to know that the focus of the exhibition is not on the experience of childbirth but rather on the forms of the instruments themselves.

The name of the exhibition, Rosengarten, derives from an early book on obstetric practise and is literally translated as Rose Garden.

Photo: © Anne Bevan/Michael Wolchover 2003

Bevan and Galloway have collaborated several times previously. In 2000 their Pipeline Project explored the system of water pipes that lay below Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket Gallery. The idea for this exhibition came from visits both women had made to an obscure museum in Romania.

Unbeknownst to each other, they had visited the same place independently and found that they were fascinated by exactly the same object. The focus of their fascination was a pair of early nineteenth century forceps. These inspired their research into gynaecological instruments.

Vitally important but frequently overlooked, the basic design of the instruments used for aiding childbirth has changed only marginally over hundreds of years. However the use of these instruments has resulted in innumerable lives being saved, of both mother and child.

As Galloway succinctly puts it in one of her specially created poems, "This is the business of life with death, two balances in precise relation".

Photo: © Anne Bevan/Michael Wolchover 2003

At the entrance to the show is a display of obstetric implements. Some of these are from the Hunterian’s own collection. William Hunter, founder of the museum, played a major role in the development of modern obstetrics. A pair of his own forceps are on display, along with a variety of slightly terrifying instruments.

The exhibition itself consists of nine specially designed light tables at waist level, and nine panels of poetry – one for each month of pregnancy.

When researching into the various paraphernalia of birth, Bevan was struck by how similar the shapes of some of the gynaecological implements were to plants.

She has created objects inspired by these instruments, using materials from nature such as natural sea sponge and felt. The resulting pieces are simple and delicate, such as glass tubes engraved with words and a case of doughnut-shaped objects.

Galloway has been interested in women’s experiences throughout her career as a writer. Panels of her poetry are placed around the glowing light boxes. A Rosengarten book containing her poetry, as well as images and related texts, has been produced to complement the exhibition.

Although small, the exhibition is appropriately displayed in a calming, blue-painted room. The comforting glow of the light boxes perfectly highlights the delicate pieces on display, while the poetry serves to provide a literary background to the sculptures. The exhibition illustrates how seemingly utilitarian objects can inspire fascinating objects and poems.