What’s "Biomenstrual"?
Biomenstrual is an ecofeminist project and involves a collection of experiments with materials and rituals around the theme of menstrual care. This includes the design of a variety of menstrual care products created from eco materials. The project tries to understand whether the materials used in menstrual products can be more ecological, at the same time it also seeks to better understand our relationships with other species such as bacteria, plants, and insects.
Who's it for?
Biomenstrual is relevant to anyone interested in menstrual care. It will also be of interest for anyone exploring sustainable product design. Finally, it will also be of interest for anyone interested in the more-than-human turn in design and ecofeminist theory.
Approach
The project uses Research through Design as the main guiding principle, it also identifies as speculative design and is inspired by more-than-human design.
Contribution
A key outcome from the project is a Spell Book. In it the team explains the thinking behind the project and also provides practical guides to allow anyone to do the same experiments. This includes instructions about how to use Sphangum Moss in menstrual pads, cooking your own bioplastic from Agar Agar, how to use Red Cabbage as an pH indicator, and how to water plants using menstrual fluid. Alongside these very practical guides there are a range of academic papers that discuss how this work contributes to ecofeminist and design theory.
Why is it in the Observatory?
Biomenstrual combines elements of research through design, speculative design, and more-than-human design. Although the products that formed the basis of the project were not intended for production, it is an example of how designing functional products here and now, can help us to better speculate about the future, learn a great deal about new materials, and to develop new theoretical perspectives relating to our relationships with other species and the wider natural ecosystem.