WOMB ROOM
Hello! Welcome!
My name is Jameisha Prescod. I’m an artist-filmmaker and writer from London. I’m excited to present to you the result of my residency with Vital Capacities.
The project I chose to develop is a work in progress called “Womb Room.”
“Womb Room” is an immersive project that asks a central question to people living with chronic womb pain:
If your womb were a place, what would it look like?
Since the project is currently in the ideation stage, I used the residency to help me figure out how to bring the project to life.
Throughout the residency, one word kept coming up for me.
PROCESS
Process.
Vital Capacities helped me slow down and figure out what my creation process would look like for this project.
The first stage of the process for Womb Room is to interview people living with chronic womb pain e.g. conditions like endometriosis, fibroids, adenomyosis etc.
It’s in this stage where I ask them to creatively re-imagine what their womb could look like if it were a place.
Here is an example of my interview with Lee, a yoga instructor with endometriosis from London.
“I honestly think that my uterus and my ovaries and all of my little reproductive organs I feel like it’s a beautiful garden. I think it’s a gorgeous, gorgeous garden. It’s lush, it’s fertile. It’s just spectacular to behold.
However, if I am not doing the right kind of gardening you know, like when I’m not doing the, the best in terms of staying on top of like diet and exercise and the things that I know help me to manage the inflammation…maybe my garden is becoming a little bit over on with thorns, or maybe there’s a few too many difficult weeds that need pruning.
I think when my endometriosis is flaring, and it’s not at its greatest, I like to imagine that maybe it’s just that I need to tend to the garden in a more sensitive way. Do a little pruning, maybe throw a little fertiliser on there. Maybe cut out some of the thorny rose bushes, you know. But I never like to imagine it as anything less than beautiful and fertile and just lush and gorgeous. Because I think, you know, despite what it may be doing that doesn’t feel ideal, it’s still this magical thing of complete, utter mastery that I just, I can’t help but like, be in awe of it and its beauty.”
![AI generated imagery of four hyper realistic photos of an interior design for the dreamy fairy tale bedroom in paradise, pink and green colour palette, a lush garden full with flowers and plants surrounding it, magical atmosphere, surrealistic](https://vitalcapacities.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/WOMB-ROOM-IMAGE-3.jpg)
During the residency, I wondered whether AI had a place within my process for this project.
I was apprehensive at first because I wanted my artistic skills to be directly tied to the final product without AI-generated imagery doing it for me.
I decided to experiment with using it for early research and pre-visualisation.
BIAS
![4 different images of the process from an ambient cell to cross-sections showing a baby in an umbilical cord, from inside a mother’s belly to a pregnant woman and everything is made in the style of pink wax, hyper realistic, hyper detailed, high resolution, high definition.](https://vitalcapacities.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/WOMB-ROOM-IMAGE-1-1024x1024.jpg)
![A series of four images showcasing the different types of colourful human-style organs. Each photo is set against a soft pastel background that enhances the realism and detail of each organ with delicate pink veins. This visual representation highlights both scientific precision while also conveying an emotional connection through its vibrant colours.](https://vitalcapacities.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/WOMB-ROOM-IMAGE-2-1024x1024.jpg)
I wasn’t expecting my use of AI to reframe how I thought of my own project.
Early images I generated which can be seen above exposed biases that exist with AI.
When I asked Midjourney to generate images of “wombs” or “uteruses” it either gave me imagery of babies or an inaccurate depiction of the organ.
Since then I haven’t stopped thinking about how these biases may still be within me and how to challenge them when I finally start producing Womb Room.
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I eventually asked Midjourney to produce a photorealistic image of a garden room from the interpretation of someone with endometriosis. These images are what it came up with. They were quite helpful in inspiring the final images.
This process also led me to think about ethics. I realised in asking people with womb pain to visualise and communicate to me what the insides of their wombs looked like, I was doing the same thing to Midjourney.
What ethical implications should be considered because of this?
![A collage of pink and green floral patterns, vines, and foliage surrounded by lush jungle foliage, with mirrors reflecting in the background. The scene is set at dawn or dusk, creating an ethereal atmosphere. This style blends natural elements with fantasy and surrealism, giving it a dreamy quality in the style of surrealist artists.](https://vitalcapacities.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/WOMB-ROOM-IMAGE-4.jpg)
![A collage of four images depicting lush greenery, pink drapes, and exotic plants in an opulent setting. The style is a mix between hyper-realistic botanicals and surreal digital art, with vibrant colours and soft lighting creating a dreamy atmosphere. Each element has its own distinct visual narrative within the composition, showcasing a harmonious blend of nature’s beauty and modern aesthetics. This combination creates a visually stunning representation that sparks imagination.](https://vitalcapacities.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/WOMB-ROOM-IMAGE-5-1024x1024.jpg)
With all the inspiration and research I did throughout the residency, I was able to produce a 3D generated image to reflect the experience of Lee.
![A 3D generated image of a lush, vibrant garden scene. The garden is filled with abundant green foliage and numerous pink flowers blooming on the bushes, creating a serene and colorful environment. In the middle of the image there is a partially visible mattress.](https://vitalcapacities.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/3D-PRODUCED-IMAGE-GARDEN-ROOM-1024x576.jpg)
With more time to develop this project, I would love to allow users to explore the visuals I create on their terms. I will probably implement to use of Unreal Engine for this, but further research and collaboration will be needed.
I intend for these rooms to be spaces for rest while listening to the voices of the people I interview. I want the project to be immersive. Users should be enveloped in sounds that relate to the 3D imagery I produce. Audiences will also hear calming music and voice-over recordings from the interviewees.
I included a mattress in the centre of the image. In some of the AI-generated images, beds are included. I was inspired by this because this imagery is another indicator of these spaces being for rest and healing. I want to include this as I expand the project.
Moving forward I hope to create visuals like these that can be both VR and in-person immersive experiences that allow an alternative and more engaging way to archive the experiences of people living with chronic conditions.