Whose Menopause? completes with publication of colaborative zine
We’re delighted to share our work from the project in this zine. If you’d like a printed copy please email me.
I was awarded an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant in November 2022 to deliver ‘Whose Menopause?’ an inclusive socially engaged photography pilot programme in Bolton, Greater Manchester.
In partnership with Bolton at Home and supported by NHS Bolton CCG and Indigo Gender Service, the project ran from January to September 2023 with the aim of using photography to explore, document and share people’s experiences of menopause.
It was co-produced with three fantastic community groups: Breightmet Butterflies, a free weekly women's group based in Breightmet, Bolton; Sanctuary Storytellers, a women’s creative writing group based at Bolton Central Library and part of City of Sanctuary Bolton; and LGBTQ+ Horwich, a new group formed exclusively for the project following an open call for members from the LGBTQ+ community to share their experiences.
Through 38 workshops over nine months, we’ve collectively challenged the typical media narrative of menopause, which often excludes those identifying as LGBTQ+, working class or from the global majority. We’ve talked about and created work on themes including invisibility, positivity, anxiety, trans menopause, being a glitch, language, sleep deprivation, irritability, herbal remedies and so much more.
This publication is a visual legacy of the conversations we’ve had. In the zine, you’ll find some our favourite highlights: from digital and film photography, through to alternative cameraless processes including anthotypes, cyanotypes and lumen prints. But as ever with socially engaged practice, the process is also the work. It’s difficult to convey the meaningful, rich, and open conversations we’ve had. Not just in each group, but between them - where questions have been posed and ideas shared, resulting in a cross-pollination of creativity across the whole project.
Whose Menopause? has brought a range of LGBTQ+, health, and place-based partners together to test and inform a new model of working in Bolton. It’s also involved professionals from across the UK including Julia Nurse, Research Development Specialist at the Wellcome Collection in London; Dr Rachael Gillibrand at The University of Leeds; and Professor Vanessa Beck at The University of Bristol. All of whom generously provided their time and incredible stimulus material to inform and inspire our conversations. I’ve had ongoing guidance from the ever-wonderful Gaynor Cox, Housing Arts Officer at Bolton at Home. And I’ve benefitted from working with two amazingly talented volunteers, Kate Hardy and Evelynne Rogers. Thank you all for supporting the project.
Finally, thank you to every group member who co-produced this project. Thank you for sharing my enthusiasm for showing a completely different and more inclusive perspective on menopause. And thank you for being so open with your personal stories, ideas, and creativity. It’s been an absolute joy and privilege. I’m so proud of what we’ve created together.
Marge Bradshaw, photographer and socially engaged artist, October 2023