Fertility Fest 2019 logo
Barbican

23 April – 12 May 2019

Maxine Peake in Avalanche

Key event: Sat 27 Apr – Sun 12 May 2019

Julia Leigh’s Avalanche


“Maxine Peake is captivating” The Stage

“Maxine Peake shows honesty and compassion” WhatsOnStage

World Premiere: a stage dramatisation of Leigh’s tender and illuminating memoir, starring Maxine Peake

Wed 24 Apr 2019

The Queer Family

LGBTQ+ – with or without children – this event’s for you

Artists

Emma Edwards; Dimple Devadas; Stella Duffy and Shelley Silas; Jamie Anderson

Fertility Experts

Carole Gilling Smith; Francesca Steyn

Chair

James Mackenzie Blackman

thu 25 Apr 2019

The invisible man

Unveiling the male experience of infertility

Artists

Emma Edwards; Dimple Devadas; Stella Duffy and Shelley Silas; Jamie Anderson

Fertility Experts

Carole Gilling Smith; Francesca Steyn

Chair

James Mackenzie Blackman

fri 26 Apr 2019

parenting after ivf

Because it’s not all over when you get that double line

Artists

Lesley Cook; Anna Furse and Nina Klaff

Fertility Experts

Katie Eaves; Carmel Dennehy; Cat Strawbridge; Victoria Macdonald; Ann Daniels

Chair

Jo Ind

mon 29 Apr 2019

miscarriage

What might have been – out of the shadows, into the spotlight

Artists

Julia Bueno; Foz Foster; Open Sky (Clare Coache & Lisle Turner)

Fertility Experts

Ruth Bender Atik; David Ogutu

Chair

Kate Brian

sat 27 Apr 2019

There’s more to life than children

For anyone considering or living a life without children for any reason 

Artists

Chiara Beradelli; Victoria Firth; Rod Silvers; Benjamin Zephaniah; Yvonne John, Blythe Pepino; Bibi Lynch; Sheridan Voysey

Fertility Experts

Heather Wiffin; Anthony Ryb; Megumi Fieldsend

Chairs

Jody Day; Natalie Silverman

sat 27 apr – sun 12 may 2019

julia leigh’s avalanche

World Premier of Leigh’s tender and illuminating memoir, starring Maxine Peake

 

 

sun 28 Apr 2019

Trying to conceive

Who said getting pregnant was easy?

Artists

Avni Trivedi; John Barker; Anna German; Alice Rose

Fertility Experts

Emma Cannon; Larisa Corda; Tamsin Jeffs; Geeta Nargund; Aileen Feeney; Sara Marshall Page & Tracey Bamborough

Chair

Anya Sizer

tue 30 Apr 2019

young, gifted and infertile

Breaking the silence on what it feels to be born without sufficient eggs or a womb

Artists

Theatre Unlocked (Catherine Cranfield); Natasha Bishop

Fertility Experts

Andreia Trigo; Marie Gerval

Chair

Sophie Sulehria

wed 1 may 2019

race, religion and reproduction

Fertility Fest artists and experts unite to talk about one of the biggest infertility taboos

Artists

Ariella Eshed; Kat Francois; Lizzie Lowrie; Maria Da Luz Ghoumrassi; Monica Douglas Clark; Rachel Giles; Rod Silvers; Satinder Chohan; Valeka J Holt; Yvonne John

Fertility Experts

Benjamin Abramov; Elis Matthews; Fatimah Mohamied; Helen George; Marion Wilson; Shaun Rodgers; Sofia Gameiro; Veronique Berman

Chairs

Farrah Nazir; Sarah Douglas

wed 1 may 2019

The big fertility questions

Fertility Fest artists and experts explore today’s hottest fertility topics

Panelists

Geeta Nargund; Geoffrey Trew; Joyce Harper; Lewis Vaughan Jones; Ricky Martin

Chair

Hannah Vaughan Jones

thu 2 may 2019

fertility freedom scratch night

Open mic showcase of new and emerging work

Artists

Angelica O Reilly; Christina Smith; Dimple Devadas, Camilla Isola, Laura Calcagno and Samina Khan; Helen Louise Jones; Linn Johansson and Matthew Coulton; Simona Hughes; Stephen Myott-Meadows; Titania Krimpas; Toby Peach; Valeka J Holt; Victor Esses and Yorgos Petrou

Curated and directed by

Tian Glasgow

fri 3 may 2019

big fat festival day

Fertility Fest’s signature day of performances, screening, talks, discussion and debate putting IVF under the creative spotlight

Artists

Lisa Faulkner; Izzy Judd; Holly Slingsby; Kat Froncois; Elis Matthews; Rod Silvers, Faye Glen; Camilla Lyon; Irina Voder; Lisa Parry; Louise McLoughlin; Marisa Carnesky; James D Souza

Fertility Experts

James Nicopoullous; David Ogutu; Irfana Koita; Shaun Rogers; Benjamin Abramov; Jonathan Ramsay; Vidya Seshadri; Jacky Boivin; Debbie Evans; Sally Cheshire; Carol Gilling Smith; Louise Brown; Michael Johnson Ellis; Susan Bewley

Chairs

Natalie Silverman; Kate Brian; Anya Sizer; Zeynep Gurtin

sat 4 may 2019

what comes first:the career or the egg?

Are you thinking about ‘the baby question?’ Egg freezing? Solo Motherhood? If you are, don’t miss this!

Artists

Anna Bliss Scully and Nina Davis; Paula Varjack, Catriona James and Luca Rutherford; Brewmaker’s Theatre Company; Pepper Binkley; Genevieve Roberts; Claire Taylor

Fertility Experts

Eirini Kartsaki; Tracey Sainsbury; Kylie Baldwin; Caroline Spencer; Nina Barnsley

Chairs

Maddy Costa; Sophie Sulehria; Cindy Charles

sat 4 may 2019

only you

A preview screening of this unconventional romance of endurance with an introduction from its director, Harry Wootliff

 

sun 5 may 2019

The gift

A celebration for families made through donation and surrogacy. Everyone in the family welcome!

Artists

Sarah Esdaile; Fiona Duffelen

Fertility Experts

Nina Barnsely; Helen Greenwood

 

fri 10 may 2019

modern families workshop

A collaborative workshop to discuss the future of fertility education in schools

Fertility Experts

Carole Gilling Smith; Joyce Harper; Jacky Boivin

 

throughout the festival

artists in residence

Prize-winning artist Tabitha Moses, writer Katy Lindemann and Fertility Podcaster Natalia Silverman

 

The Fertility Show

Fertility Fest @ The Fertility Show

Manchester: 23-24 March 2019

London: 1-3 November 2019

fri 1 nov 2019

young, gifted and infertile

A special event exploring premature ovarian insufficieny

 

sat 2 nov 2019

The Ultimate Survivors Guide to IVF

Artist

Jessica Hepburn

Fertility Experts

Cat Strawbridge; Angela Pericleous-Smith

sat 2 nov 2019

The doctor in the bedroom

Artist

Dee Harvey

Fertility Experts

Sarah Banks; Srividya Seshadri

sat 2 nov 2019

when plan b is meant to be

Artist

Lisa Faulkner

Fertility Experts

Mohammed Taranissi; Jacky Boivin

sat 2 nov 2019

The invisible man

Artist

Rod Silvers

Fertility Experts

Russell Davies; Sheryl Homa

sat 2 nov 2019

solo motherhood

Artist

Genevieve Roberts

Fertility Experts

Mel Johnson; Tracey Sainsbury

sun 3 nov 2019

The DOCTOR IN THE BEDROOM

Artist

Gabby Vautier

Fertility Experts

Barbara Scott; Irfana Koita

SUN 3 NOV 2019

The INVISIBLE MAN

Artist

Glenn Barden

Fertility Experts

Richard Clothier; Benjamin Abramov

SUN 3 NOV 2019

SAYING GOODBYE – MISCARRIAGE AND LOSS

Artists

Zoe Clark Coates and Andy Clark Coates

Fertility Expert

Anya Sizer

SUN 3 NOV 2019

The Queer Family

Artist

Emma Edwards

Fertility Experts

Erika Tranfield; Michael Johnson Ellis; Carole Gilling Smith

sat 23 mar 2019

The ultimate survivors guide to ivf

Artists

Jessica Hepburn and Gabby Vautier

sat 23 mar 2019

The doctor in the bedroom

Artist

Tabitha Moses

Fertility Experts

Irfana Koita; Kate Davies

sat 23 mar 2019

miscarriage

Artist

Zoe Clark Coates and Andy Clark Coates

Fertility Expert

Geeta Nargund

sat 23 mar 2019

The Queer Family

Artist

Emma Edwards

Fertility Experts

Erika Tranfield; Wes Johnson Ellis

sat 23 mar 2019

The invisible man

Artist

Thomas Webb

Fertility Expert

Raj Mathur

sun 24 mar 2019

The doctor in the bedroom

Artist

Sophie Ingleby

Fertility Experts

Jane Stewart; Sarah Banks

sun 24 mar 2019

it’s good to talk (and what not to say)

Artist

Alice Rose

Fertility Experts

Barbara Scott; Justine Bold

sun 24 mar 2019

The invisible man

Artist

Bob Strawbridge

Fertility Expert

Michael Close

sun 24 mar 2019

solo motherhood

Artist

Claire Taylor

Fertility Experts

Mel Johnson; Lucia Grounds

sun 24 mar 2019

The ultimate survivor’s guide to ivf

Artists

Jessica Hepburn and Gabby Vautier

ESHRE logo

Fertility Fest @ ESHRE

Mon 24 June – Wed 26 June 2019 Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Centre, Vienna, Austria

Artists: Dee Harvey; Elis Matthews; Faye Glen; Gertraud Klemm; Heidi Barkun; Maria Arlamovsky; Studio Job, Joris & Marieke; Tabitha Moses

Still from If by Dee Harvey

Dee Harvey

Dee Harvey is the co-writer and director of IF – one of the first ever virtual reality film dramas about the experience of infertility. Drawn from interviews with men and women who have been on a fertility journey, it tells the fictional story of Claudia and Josh, a married couple who decide to go for IVF treatment when their hopes of naturally conceiving fail. With their finances, relationship and bodies put under a microscope, they discover if their love is enough to carry them through.

IF stars Kerry Gooerson & Simon Lyshon; written by Nirpal Bhogal, Katie Boyles & Dee Harvey; directed by Dee Harvey; and produced by Chi Thai. Funded by Google, You Tube, BFI and Northern Irish Screen.

We will be screening IF throughout the conference – come and book a slot on the virtual reality headsets.

Artwork by Faye Glen

Faye Glen

British artist Faye graduated from art college as a mature student in 2018, achieving a first class honours for a body of paintings and sculptural work that explored themes of female identity, infertility and maternal loss.​

Since a young age Faye knew that achieving motherhood was going to be a challenge for her, however she was encouraged to believe that embarking on IVF would offer her the family that she had always dreamed of. After five years of unsuccessful treatment, it was time to let go. Focusing on the positive, she channelled that energy into her art practice and will be exhibiting two of her visceral sculptural pieces and talking about the work that has inspired her healing process.​

For more details see: fayeglen.com

Headshot of Gertraud Klemm

Gertraud Klemm

Viennese writer Gertraud Klemm will be reading from and discussing her autobiographic book Muttergehause (published in 2016) which looks at involuntary childlessness and adoption. 

Getraud Klemm was born in 1971 in Vienna and lives in the city with her husband and their two adopted sons from South Africa. After her university degree in biology she worked as a consultant, examining drinking water, for the Council of Vienna, before she started writing. Since then she has won several literary prizes and scholarships including the Public’s Choice Award of the Ingeborg Bachmann competition (2014) as well as being shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature (2015). Her past novels include Erbsenzählen, (2017) and Aberland (2015) and her newest novel Hippocampus will be published by Kremayr & Scheriau in August 2019.

For more details see gertraudklemm.at

Heidi Barkun headshot

Heidi Barkun

Canadian artist Heidi Barkun explores constructions of identity through a transdisciplinary art practice, seen through a feminist and scientific lens. The focus on infertility in her recent work follows six years of failed attempts at in vitro fertilization (IVF). Heidi has exhibited her artworks in Canada, the United States, South America, and Europe. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Visual & Media Arts and Feminist Studies at Université du Québec à Montréal, where she received numerous scholarships for her art and research into infertility and IVF failure.

In the textile work Unnamed, fragments of used baby clothes are sewn together as imagined scientific constructions of seven embryos created in the lab during Heidi’s five failed cycles of in vitro fertilization. Erratic red stitches join protruding pieces of footed pyjamas, cotton onesies, terrycloth bath towels, and printed caps. These Frankenstein-like creatures, secured to the wall with dissection pins, exteriorize the seeds that failed intrauterine implantation.

For more details see: www.heidibarkun.com

Future Baby

Maria Arlamovsky

Maria Arlamovsky, the Vienna-based director of the 2016 film Future Baby will be talking about her reasons for making the documentary, what she learnt from it and the reactions she’s had from around the world. A brilliant and detailed film which sheds light on the complex field of reproductive science from different perspectives, Maria visited scientists, doctor, academics and patients including egg donors and surrogate mothers and the first generation of artificially begotten children. Through this she offers an unparalleled exploration of the achievements and advances as well as the complexity and consequences of reproductive science and explores what it means for future society when biological boundaries dissolve and technology inscribes itself into the origin of life, ultimately asking the question – is there a right to children at any price?

For more details see futurebaby.at

Studio Job Joris and Marieke

Studio Job, Joris & Marieke

Marieke Blaauw – Founder of the Academy Award nominated Dutch animation studio Job Joris & Marieke – will be talking about and presenting their short film Otto – which tells the story of an involuntarily childless woman and her imaginary child.​

Job, Joris & Marieke was founded in 2007 by Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins and Marieke Blaauw. In 2015 their short film A Single Life was nominated for an Academy Award® in the category best animated short. In 2017 their short film Otto was nominated for a Rockie Award. And in 2018 their short film Kop Op (Heads Together) was nominated for the Prix de Jeunesse, a Rockie Award and won an International Emmy Kids Award. Altogether their films and music videos won over 75 awards and were screened at more than 300 film festivals worldwide.​

For more details see: jobjorisenmarieke.nl

Tabitha Moses

Tabitha Moses

The UK’s Liverpool prize-winning artist Tabitha Moses is the creator of an extensive collection of beautiful work on fertility, infertility and IVF including including In Vitro; Investment; and On Food and Longing. At ESHRE she will be displaying and talking about Investment her a series of embroidered hospital gowns and photographic portraits made in collaboration with the photographer Jon Barraclough, one of which was recently purchased by the British Science Museum for their national collection. For this beautiful series of works Tabitha drew on her own and others’ experience of IVF to explore the medical processes and personal beliefs surrounding infertility and its treatment, shedding light on the hope, happiness and pain that infertility and IVF brings.