Given the increasing scrutiny and concerns raised regarding English maternity care, exhibitions such as Threads of Protest offer a vital contribution to the conversation. It is through the arts, that the depth of emotion can be conveyed, and allow us to walk alongside those who have been most disaffected by their care. It also allows for the opportunity to reimagine what a great service should look like, and most importantly, what great maternity care should feel like.
Dr Claire Feeley
30 June 2026
'Threads of Protest' exhibition offers a timely reflection on the future of maternity care
A free exhibition at Science Gallery London bringing together art, lived experience and research.
Developed through Dr Gemma McKenzie’s ESRC postdoctoral fellowship in Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, King's College London and in collaboration with Dr Claire Feeley and researchers across maternity care and reproductive justice, the exhibition explores human rights in childbirth.
Through crochet, embroidery and film the works examine how maternity care is experienced across different systems and contexts, placing lived experience alongside research to question inequality, autonomy and what respectful care should feel like.
Building on the use of thread as a form of protest in women’s art practices, the exhibition brings together work by artists and women from across the globe, developed through workshops and community action. These contributions form a collective campaign, using crochet and stitch as a way of sharing lived experience, documenting personal testimony, and connecting voices through a shared creative process. A short film from The Freebirth Study also explores themes of autonomy and choice in childbirth.
As part of the exhibition programme, Science Gallery London hosted 'The Big Question: Who will fix maternity care?' - a panel discussion chaired by Dr Claire Feeley with speakers Dr Gemma McKenzie, Dr Annabel Sowemimo and Dr Karen Joash (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust).
The discussion explored themes of holistic maternity care, listening to women and families, and the need for greater collaboration across services and trusts. These conversations come at a significant moment for maternity care, following the publication of the Ockenden Review and the Baroness Amos National Maternity Review, both of which call for meaningful change across the maternity system.
Watch a recording of the panel discussion
Threads of Protest is part of Science Gallery London’s wider programme with King’s College London exploring healthcare, equality and social justice. The exhibition runs until 31 July 2026.
In this story
Senior Lecturer in Midwifery
PhD student