LAST BLOOD
‘......Art can be a tool, and we need to focus more clearly on what kind of tool it is - and what good it can do for us.’ (Armstrong & De Botton (2021:4)
Navigating my way through menopause has been no mean feat, simply because symptoms have not always been so obvious to me or the medical profession. However, it was during a period of acute anxiety (now clearly identified as a menopausal symptom) that I was turned away by doctors who saw me as a "nuisance". It was during this time, I became aware of a local woman that had gone missing, later found to have taken her own life due to insufficient help regarding her ongoing symptoms. Lockdown was an especially difficult time leaving people in isolation and fear whereby natural support systems were denied during this time.
During Covid-19, the reduced health care system couldn’t help women struggling with menopause. However, this is nothing new as GPs are generally under-qualified in this area- (quote from liz nemean) - it has been underfunded and disparaged by a predominately patriarchal society for centuries. This has resulted in women across all sections of society leading a reduced quality of life including health issues, loss of employment/careers and relationship breakdowns due to an onset of physiological symptoms that have on some occasions led to suicide and other fatalities. ‘Fear of being labelled hysterical: 1 in 10 women experience suicidal thoughts due to perimenopause ’Many women are suffering in silence, not even talking to their partner or spouse about it,’ says expert Maya Oppenheim, Women’s Correspondent for Independent, October 2021
I began looking for answers in my companions of a similar disposition, as I too was struggling during this period. I organised a focus group of friends (22) and gave them questionaires, along with a space to chat about their thoughts on this topi. This became a therapeutic experience in a form of photo-therapy, as up until this no one was talking about menopause in this capacity. These sessions were conducted when lockdown restrictions were slowly being lifted and people were willing to talk and share their stories to help others. I wanted to record this time with a portrait of each of the women during the interview to 'capture' this time and to reflect upon this transition period in our lives, to look at ourselves. This project focuses on identity as women.
Last Blood’s portraits work in conjunction with an installation and ebook in the hope of encouraging a different narrative by introducing a new way of ‘looking’ at the menopause, for the community audience to review, reflect and consider this as a topic for the future generations of women in a therapeutic and informative way.
It was during these interviews and anonymous questionaires that I learned about the impact on women's mental health along with physical ailments . The research summarised this taboo topic as a "minefield", with the main difficulty being the 'invisibility' factor when attempting to discuss issues affecting them. The lack of training and knowledge to help women during this transitional period make life even harder with no road to follow unless the doctor is well informed and understanding or women affor d to seek private menopause specialists. For the vast majority of women this has led to a poor quality of life at some point during the transition. More research clearly needs to be done so that GPs can empower women with knowledge and then we can start to educate society as a whole.
This project looked a finding alternative health treatments/therapies to alleviate symptoms including therapeutic and mindful photography.
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