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Background: Medical misogyny and culturally-induced shame around bodies complicates how women and AFAB people deal with gynecological illnesses. They feel silenced and isolated in their experiences.

Objective: In The Hysteria Project, I give women and AFAB people an opportunity to share the narrative of their bodies in an anonymous and safe space, and to honor their bodies through art.

Methods: I recruited participants via social media and word of mouth. I recorded their stories via Zoom. These were not interviews; the storytellers were sharing the narratives of their bodies in a freeform manner. I interrupted only when I couldn’t hear or something was unclear. I recorded age, gender, location, ethnicity, and if they were an immigrant. I created a portrait based off the participant’s story (either uterus or vulva) to go in the archive alongside the story. The portraits are collages made from analog cameraless color photographs of lace on metal leaf backgrounds, the color of which indicates the gender of the storyteller.

Results: In total, there are 68 stories with accompanying collages, on an archive website. For the purpose of the conference, there will be a small exhibition of a selection (depending on space) of the collages, with a QR code so people can go to the website and read the stories.

Conclusions: From testimonials, both participants and viewers felt less alone and more able to self advocate because of the project. The art helps them see beauty instead of just pain. Next steps will be publishing a book.