A Second Beating Heart
Rabea Edel
Shift Books
German/English
Hardcover
104 pages
210 x 270 mm
2021
ISBN 9783948174132
The birth of a child marks not only the beginning of a new life, but also the birth of a mother. A second beating heart finds its place in her body. But when this second heart suddenly beats outside the body, everything is turned upside down. The illustrated book A Second Beating Heart tells the extraordinary story of a woman who never leaves her home after the birth of her child. What starts creepily at first develops into a new reality. Over a period of almost three years, the house becomes their shelter and cocoon. A Second Beating Heart is not only a story of isolation, but also of healing and emancipation. The woman finds her way out of the cocoon she has woven around herself. This coffee table book tells of their journey, which is not only a physical healing, but also an emotional and spiritual one. It is a liberation from the ideal image of the perfect mother and a testimony to the power of personal development.
(source: https://shiftbooks.de/en/shop/second-beating-heart/)
About the Artist
Rabea Edel, born in Bremerhaven and living in Berlin, is a novelist and artist photographer. In her work she often deals with the topics of motherhood and mental health.
rabeaedel.com
(source: https://www.rabeaedel.com/)
About the Publisher
Shift Books is a Berlin-based publishing house specialising in the publication of art and photography books. With a diverse publishing programme, SHIFT BOOKS creates space for discussions on gender, political and cultural issues and thus offers an important contribution to social debate.
The publisher works with emerging and established artists to create unique publications that combine artistic and social relevance. SHIFT BOOKS attaches great importance to individual book design, feel and material and focuses on holistic sustainable and, if possible, vegan production.
shiftbooks.de/en/
(source: https://shiftbooks.de/en/publisher/)