When they put their hands out like scales - Interview with Emma Campbell

What was the process of arriving at this finished body of work?

I did a lot of research which involved visiting groups in Belfast who were working within the area of abortion as well as talking to academics who were researching abortion. During International Women's Day I also attended a performance by Ann Rossiter which was essentially a one-woman comedy show about a backstreet abortion clinic. Through this I found out that Ann volunteered for an organisation which pragmatically supports women from Ireland and Northern Ireland dealing with crisis pregnancies. I initially went over to their centre to take photos of the volunteers but as I travelled there the significance of the journey itself struck me. It's almost a transformative process. I read a line in Ann's book which talks about how exile is such a significant part of the Irish psyche. However traveling for an abortion is like an enforced, secretive version of exile. Suddenly the importance of the journey really hit home. Focusing on the journey also avoided making photographs of victims, which I really didn't want to do. Like the Magdalene Laundries, abortion is a significant part of our culture and the secrecy which surrounds it ensures that it remains publicly perceived as a taboo.

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