The Hysteria Project is a one-on-one storytelling project dealing with menstruation, reproductive, and pelvic disorders, illustrated by individual ‘portraits’ of their reproductive organs based on their stories. These life-size, intimate works start in a traditional darkroom where I use lace instead of negatives to make color prints that I cut up and collage onto a gold leaf background.

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The process of actively listening to people tell their stories, sometimes for the first time, is as vital as the actual artworks. Many have suffered silently for many years. Some of them were taught by their mothers that their pain and excessive bleeding were normal, because that’s what their mothers, in turn, were told about their own bodies. Some had never talked to anyone, because in many cultures menstruation just isn’t talked about. And the thing that virtually all of us share is having our experiences dismissed by the medical community.

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People need to be heard. Breaking this silence means breaking this cycle of recurring trauma for future generations. The Hysteria Project bears witness to stories of people who menstruate about this crucial aspect of our lives.

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Right now the stories are told via Zoom. If you have a story to contribute, please get in touch.

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To see the entire project archive, please go to The Hysteria Project.

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Funded by Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien.