Frei
A speculative object for watering and fertilizing plants using a mixture of menstrual blood and water.
“Every time I have sex, it feels like a negotiation over contraceptives.”
Workshop Participant
Although having an abortion is solely a woman’s decision, since a pregnancy directly affects her body and her future, I believe that men must be an active part of the conversation. From microaggressions such as neglecting female partners’ anxiety of unintended pregnancy, to extreme cases of coerced unprotected sex or control over partners’ contraception, men do play crucial roles in their partners’ reproductive health and autonomy.
“Without human touchstones, situations that we haven’t experienced ourselves become unimaginable. People do not find empathy in theoretical exercise.”
Shout Your Abortion, Preface by Amelia Bonow
Most women are reminded of their reproductive capacity by their menstrual cycle. With every cycle, menstrual blood sends a message that reminds them they are not pregnant. As a result, women maintain a relationship with their reproductive bodies throughout their life. Men, however, are more remote from this experience, and communicating with their partner about their menstrual cycle is a reliable way to stay connected with their partners’ reproductive health.
How might we use menstrual blood as a mediator for open communication about reproductive health?
Frei is a speculative object in the form of a vessel for watering and fertilizing plants, using a mixture of water and menstrual blood. Blood is generally used as a plant fertilizer since it contains three important plant nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. However, Frei not only nourishes plants; it also aims to nourish a woman’s relationship with her intimate partner. Blood is only a mediator. Women remind their partner about the shared responsibility of procreation by gifting them Frei and giving them their menstrual blood every month. This object aims to make period blood visible for men, inviting them to observe this cycle and become more attentive to their partner’s reproductive health. For that reason, Frei is deliberately messy, high maintenance, and conspicuous.
