HYSTERIA

Endometriosis is a chronic pain disorder that primarily affects women and is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood by medical professionals. This gap in awareness and understanding is what inspired me to create this project. While I considered focusing on the systemic issue of doctors dismissing women’s pain, I realized that alone wouldn’t bring about real change or reach the right audiences. Instead, I wanted to focus on educating and empowering within communities, where more of a difference can be made.

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My goal was to create something that would engage people beyond just those living with chronic pain, making the issue more relatable to a broader audience. I wanted to encourage the idea that the more a community discusses taboo or difficult topics, the more light can be brought to these types of issues. This project needed to be something that could spark conversation and connection and open the door for those wanting to learn more.

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The concept I landed on involved using clear materials to serve as a metaphor for invisible illnesses. During the materials testing phase, I was particularly interested in experimenting with ways to make marks in the material look like pain on the surface of the plastic. One of the biggest questions I explored when designing and experimenting was: How do you depict pain?  

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The final sculpture reflects the experience of pain as a feeling being trapped within your own body -- a physical and emotional imprisonment. It was crucial to make this installation interactive and to encourage the community to write their experiences onto the surface of the sculpture. This way the work becomes a collaborative written document -- the willingness to share in stories and discussion I consider to be the true artwork.

If you have any questions or would like to continue the discussion, please feel free to contact me at leahclaire@utexas.edu.