MENSTRUAL GODDESSES

Part of the BLOODY BEAUTIFUL programme by affect lab.

This event took place on October 12, 2023 at W139 in Amsterdam.

Bloody Beautiful Gossip Session #3: Menstrual Goddesses was a gossip session where we honoured the wisdom and power of menstruating bodies.

In prehistoric times menstrual blood was considered the most potent weapon in war. Warriors believed a spear dipped in blood was the best protection during battle. In early Indian matriarchal communities it was honoured as the source of divine power and during Victorian times doctors thought it had the potential to conjure madness. In this gossip session we explored the myths, magic and science of menstruating bodies.

It was a deeply sensory, witchy and informative storytelling evening where we looked at menstruation as a process filled with knowledge and insights mediated through both art and science. We were joined by multi-disciplinary artist Annika Kappner, who guided us through her latest work Moonblood, exploring the magic and mythologies of menstruation. Also joining us was co-founder and CEO Isabelle Guenou of the Berlin-based startup theblood, a femtech company launched in 2022 that uses menstrual blood as a source of knowledge, offering us unprecedented and personalised data and health insights. Dymphie Braun served as the moderator of the evening.

Video by Anisa Xhomaqi

About BLOODY BEAUTIFUL

BLOODY BEAUTIFUL is a movement of lesser heard stories about menstruation and menopause. Our goal is to creatively propagate new public narratives about the topic in a gender-forward way. 

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