From Yahoo news, not Ananova for a change.

Woman to give birth in art gallery BERLIN (Reuters) - A Berlin couple plan to have their first baby at an art gallery, the gallery owner said on Saturday, confirming a newspaper report. "It's a gift to humanity, a once in a lifetime thing," Bild newspaper quoted Winfried Witt, partner of mother-to-be Ramune Gele, as saying. Johann Novak, manager of the DNA-Galerie in central Berlin, said the artistic couple wanted to challenge conventional norms. "It's a bit of test to see if society can cope," he said in a telephone interview. About 30 people are expected to attend the birth, scheduled for April 24. They would be told to come to the gallery as soon as the 27-year-old Gele's contractions became regular, Witt was quoted as saying. Novak said the gallery, which usually shows installations and video art, would be closed during the birth. "The private aspect will be maintained," he said. Another gallery owner in the street said: "I find it mad."

Birth as art? I recall that when UK uber topless model Jordan was pregnant with her first child, she initially planned to make the birth into a pay-per-view internet event. It didn't happen, possibly due to professional advice that the guys who love to look at her tits might be put off by watching her push a baby out of the other bits they like to fantasise about. But I wonder, did she look on the idea as art rather than as a publicity stunt? Is an event that happens every day to thousands of women, and some time in the life of (probably) more than half of all women even in nations with very low birth rates, art? What if the birth is a difficult one requiring intervention? Is the ventousse/forceps/c-section also art? I wonder, would the audience stay? What do you think?

I have seen rats do it, so I guess its not art. (she had 16 cubs and they all survived with a bit of help.)

Eh, even with today's technology, problems with birthing are *very* common. I hope that, at the very least, they have an extremely good midwife. ... Of course, most midwives wouldn't let the mother do this. I guess it's the mother's choice. I just feel that I wouldn't make the same decision. As for its artistic value...art is becoming odder and odder. But I guess it's to be expected. After all, galleries have askew florescent lights and upside-down toilets...

As much as I love art, so called 'performance' art has never really tweaked my interest. As for birth. I suppose you can make a profit at anything if you put your mind and dignity to it.

I think this just adds to the "perfect delivery" expectation for the start of motherhood. I know many women who were disappointed because they "missed out" on a perfect and natural childbirth experience. (I'd like stats sometime on how many women had the delivery they wanted and/or were expecting.) I like Viki Iovine's line: You are on this Earth and you are a mother. You are therefore an Earth Mother. Fortunately, it doesn't take long before all the rest of the reality of motherhood overshadows the delivery. As for the blood and sweat and tears and other fluids, and yelling at anyone even remotely involved because you haven't slept in 24 hours and expect another six hours of pain, and then being totally in charge of the wellbeing of a creature who can't even hold its head up? I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Birth as Art? Nope. Simply put...birth is life. Although one might argue that art imitates life... But in this instance art cannot be imitating life since Life is in the process of living.... My head is spinning....

too bizarre. all i can say is i hope for everyone present that the birth goes as smooothly as a birth can. If anything goes wrong i hate to think of any lawsuits and i don't mean from the birthing couple, i'm referring to witnesses.

"It's a bit of test to see if society can cope" as the article says. If anyone raises lawsuits (I don't think Germans are particularly litigious) then I suppose it will have proved the point....

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Been there, done that, never wanna do it again. Why the heck would somebody want to see THAT?!?!?!?! And who knows for how many hours, or even days? Fergit it, I'd rather clean the cat's litterbox.

I watched all the birthing I could get while I was pregnant, in order to prepare myself because I was in all probability going to be doing it too (and aren't I glad that I didn't?). But that's not art, that's education. I recall during the run up to the Turner Prize a couple of years ago, when the entries were particularly lacking in merit (some years there actually is something worthwhile, I atually rather liked the dung pictures, and also the vases that won last year), that there was a retired painter and decorator who was asking why he shouldn't enter. For the previous 10 or 20 years he'd been mixing his own paint colours and had been trying them out on his garage doors. So his garage doors were very colourful and abstract. Were they as much a valid artwork as a room with a light in it that kept going on and off? Cat's litterbox.... there was the full ashtray (did that really get tidied up by a cleaner and have to be remade?), and the untidy bed. There's the artist asleep in a glass box in the gallery - how is being asleep art? You should propose your cat's litterbox to a gallery now, it'll make you famous. It's only a matter of time before it gets done. Except if an artist does it it will probably be human faeces not animal products. There is a bit of a fuss going on over a guy who has submitted a video of himself scratching 200 cars with keys, as art to a gallery. In the light of being charged with vandalism (that's a lot of angry car owners and a court case for him) he is denying that he scratched any of the cars, that they were already scratched when he got there and he just pretended to scratch them. It's nice to know that if he's guilty, he won't get any Arts Council funding for his project. There is the odd bit of performance art that I quite like. There are a group of people who do this thing, I can't remember what they call it but it's like a celebrity turning up surrounded by bodyguards. So they rent a limo to go somewhere, one dresses up glamourously, and then 5 or 6 others dress as bodyguards. They're not bothering anyone, they're in and out of wherever they're going quickly, and they're interesting to watch while they're there.

A woman has given birth as part of an exhibition in a German art gallery in front of dozens of spectators. Ramune Gele, 27, gave birth to her first child, a healthy baby girl named Audra, in the DNA art gallery in the capital Berlin. The father, 29-year-old musician Winfried Witt, who said before the birth "it's a gift to humanity, a once in a lifetime thing", called the experience "an existential work of art". Johann Novak, manager of the gallery, said the couple wanted to challenge conventional norms. "It's a bit of test to see if society can cope," he said. Some 30 members of the public were contacted when Gele went into labour. But the "live art exhibition" was heavily criticised by some including doctors and religious leaders. "A birth is an intimate act, and should remain that way," said Stefan Foerner, 40, spokesman for the Church in Berlin.

Nice that it all went smoothly in the end...

Thinking about this a bit further, I just see major exploitation of the child. I view these parents as media whores and not artists. And what exactly is society having to cope with? The birth of a child? Or a public viewing? I just don't get it? My only hope is that this is the only 'stunt' these parents pull with this child.

LOL! Imagine my cat being famous! The poor furball would probably die of fear (I KNOW I'd die from the stench of his box) Obviously Capitalism is the name of the game. They're probably planning to broadcast the kid's next 18 years of life on FOX.

reminds me of hearing about parents offering branding rights to their unborn children. Ok, Nike was a Greek goddess so thats bareable. But imagine growing up as Heinz, or Adidas? How can parents give up something that has no impact on them except monetary benefit? All i hope is that parents who do this keep the money in safe keeping for their childrens counselling when they reach school age for rhe bullying will be sure to start.

Seems to be a current "chav" fashion over here to name kids after products - no branding royalty payments required. Little girls named "Tanisha Pepsi" and boys named "Diesel". And the illiterate ones who not only saddle their kids with a designer label name but spell it wrong too!

I'm waiting with bated breath to discover a child named J.Lo or Diddy. You KNOW it's bound to happen....

Oh.. interesting.. interesting.. topic.. I have no idea why people would think giving birth to a child a performing art. I view it as quite a person experience. However, some cultures do like sharing it with the entire family, I believe. So, are this couple just extending it to the public, I have no bloody idea. Eeek! Good thing that all went well though. And I hope that they had enjoyed the experience. I did have some friends which got totally distraughted because they did not have the perfect birth that they planned. But, life are full of disappointments here and there, right? It's all a matter of how you like at it. Personally, as long as the baby is healthy and the mother is doing well.. It's a perfect birth! And naming a baby J.Lo or Diddy? Hee.. hee.. I'd be surprised if someone has not already done that.. Anyhow.. have fun.. Yuki

Hahahaha! My daughter should count her blessings that I named her Amethyst. It coulda been Swan Jun!

thats a gorgeous name! Speaking of which, my daughters name translates to Silver and mine to Diamonds. Seems we are precious company with ya!