The conference entitled “J’ai des dizaines de moms : faire famille avec les fictions” is one of the tentacles of M.O.M, a project is equally as artistic as it is theoretical. Its objective is to reflect on the representation of maternity/parenthood in the realm of science-fiction.  

The fictional family has both an emancipatory and political power. To explore this, we investigate some characters seen before in existing works of fiction or those who are imagined. Astrid introduces her beloved companions in analysing the relationship they have to her (and to each other). Astrid believes that a tender relationship to the characters found in fiction does and should not prevent critical thinking and as such, these speculative family constellations do not necessarily need to adhere to normative logic are free to take different forms. This in turn allows exploration and critique of the nuclear family as a potentially violent, oppressive, and above all, capitalist institution.

The ideas of this project allow the identity-constructing role of cultural productions to be brought into question, also investigating the impact of narrative and representation as products of capitalism.

The conference touches on Astrid’s thesis project entitled M.O.M, self-published in June 2022. Thanks to Loraine Furter and Ismaël Bennani for their support.