What can you tell us about your new publication, The Quickening?

The Quickening is a self-published artist book that traverses the complicated first two years of motherhood. It defines my experience of Matrescence, which is an underrepresented word that refers to the transformative physiological, psychological and social time of becoming a first-time mother. The book is entirely hand-bound in a unique chaotic stitch. Several different papers were chosen based on their tactility and suitability for the mood of different parts of the book and it is a journey that is intensely intimate and universally profound.

How did the concept of your book emerge?

[It] was discovered on the editing table with my long-time friend and collaborator, Teun van der Heijden. He is a book designer that has a special affinity with the visual language and was able to see the thread of what I was trying to say in pictures, out of the mess of prints that I laid in front of him. We workshopped my intention and found a way to thread the photographs together in a way that was nuanced, powerful and contrary to the popular visual discourse around motherhood. 

Do you have a particular idea in mind of what you’d like to capture when you’re developing a book?

The concept for a book must exist on multiple levels for me. First of all, it must have a historical context. The book as an object lives in archives and libraries in a way that is different from a print or online content. It is something that is experienced privately and has the weight of research and adventure behind it. I like to take my reader on a journey, and I like to say something that is important to say, that perhaps has not been said very much before. The concept is a way of realising that intention.

The physical copy of the edited art book engages more than just sight, as its purposeful paper selections and bright red binding allow touch to become part of the visual experience – reflecting the often-tactile nature motherhood itself. Breaking free of the unrealistic standards of placed upon maternity, Ying’s The Quickening is a dark and truthful portal into what it means to be a mother in a modern and chaotic world.

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The Quickening depicts motherhood as being turbulent, explorative, dark and sometimes depressive. It’s quite a contrast to what we see in the day-to-day on social media – all smiles, laughing and shiny, happy moments. I’m interested to know, why was it important for you to depict motherhood in this way?

It was important for me to open a discussion about motherhood that could provide an echo of solidarity to the multiplicity of that experience. The experience that dominates the social sphere of motherhood is largely singular. Motherhood in popular media is mostly a laughable topic, something to poke fun at when it’s hard and glorify when it’s good. It is a reduced experience that we encounter for the sake of the infinite scroll and perhaps, vanity. I made this book as an antidote to that one-dimensional dialogue. 

The red stitching that binds The Quickening together is very striking. Can you tell us more about why you decided to present the book in this way? What was the hardest artistic choice you had to make, at any stage in production?

Each of the physical features of the book was a choice to reflect the content. The chaotic bind in red string is a nod to the emergency caesarean that I had. The number of books that were made reflects the number of days that my son was in gestation. The French fold of the pages are supposed to feel full and soft in the hands, delicate like an infant. The exposed spine is referential to ancient Chinese texts, a link to my lineage. The hardest choice I had to make was finding a solution to the prologue of the book, which is photographed in a very different way. In the end, we decided to make it an entirely different “book” altogether and simply sew it on top of the main “story”. It is something to be read together and to be held apart in the mind.

For any readers out there that are interested in developing their own publication, do you have any suggestions on how to start the process?

The first step is to make a lot of pictures, much more than you think you need to make. The next step is to find a great editor, someone that can help you sift through the mess and help marry your content with your intention. Then you should find a book designer that understands your goals. Those steps alone will take you 80% of the way! The rest is the business of publishing, which is a different ballgame entirely to the creative process. 

What projects are on the horizon for you?

Not entirely sure yet… still trying to get over the hangover of this one! As mentioned before, my books are self-published. What people perhaps don’t realise is that self-publishing means that at one point in the process, you cease to be the photographer and you become the publisher. That involves taking care of sales, retailers, promotions, competitions, distribution and collectors. I’m currently in the midst of that, which is more than a full-time job, and once that’s done, I’ll catch my breath and try to summon up the energy to make something new again.

Finally, where can we purchase The Quickening?

Directly from my website or various bookshops that you can find in the distribution page on my website.

Documenting a very raw and exposed experience, Ying’s work offers a moment of pause and allows readers a window into a textured exposé, exploring what appears both universal yet profoundly personal. Her ability to capture the complex is reflected within each of the limited first edition copies, with no two books emerging the same.