Body contact print of my vulva with menstrual blood.
Menstrual blood is fugitive, this print is in the process of fading.
Many women have grown up with negative and shameful feelings about menstruation: that it is dirty, disgusting, and something that should not be discussed.
My approach is to affirm menstrual blood as sacred. A powerful substance, it is filled with energy: the power of creation. Menstrual blood is the first pigment. I made this print of my vulva using my own menstrual blood. I use a Japanese paper.
I invest in menstrual blood my feelings about being female, and about the animal carnality of my body. The initial repulsion evolves into a celebration of these fluids. The body and spirit are then not split off from each other.
In Pagan cultures, a woman's menstruation was considered a cosmic event, connected to the moon and its' cycles and the tides. The only time blood was shed without wounding. This could be a time for introspection; in many cultures, women would isolate themselves, the better to hear one's inner voice.