A Ramsgate artist who travelled the UK to chart women’s experience of menopause for a touring exhibition is set to have the works published as an art book which will be distributed world-wide.
Catrin Osborne photographed and interviewed dozens of women for their stories on the positives and negatives of their experience.
The result was “This Is What The Menopause Looks Like” featuring 70 diverse womxn, with video work by Margate artist Tindara Sidoti McNarey.
The exhibition toured Bristol, London, Ramsgate, Frome, Brighton, Sheffield, Rochdale, Faversham and Whitstable in 2022 and received lots of feedback, which included the suggestion of creating the book.
The project was an expansion of an exhibition originally held in 2019 which was prompted by Catrin experiencing a difficult, early menopause in addition to undiagnosed ADHD.
During the third covid lockdown she applied for funding from Arts Council England and ran a Crowdfunder campaign to make her exhibition a reality and following that success the extensive works, which will be expanded to feature an even more diverse range of people, will now go into print.
Catrin, who was one of the circus performers at the Olympic opening ‘Mary Poppins’ show in London in 2012, has now made a new Arts Council application and set up a crowdfunder to run a new tour alongside the latest project.
She said: “So many people who came to the exhibition thought it should be made into a book because there was so much information there. One woman said she would like it in book form so she could sit with it, maybe when she was up in the missile of the night, and read through it.
“I have got a publishing deal, which is dependent on the Arts Council funding and raising my own 10% through the crowdfunder.
“The publishing company is going to distribute it all over the world, taking my work global.
“It will be called “A Portrait Of The Menopause” and will feature 100 women, including seven from Kent
“The stories are unique, the women are diverse and they are photographed in their happy places and talk about the positives and negatives of the menopause.”
The exhibition was featured in the Royal Photographic Societies Documentary photography Quarterly Journal and nominated for an award for best exhibition at Brighton Fringe. It was also shown during last year’s Power of Women festival.
Catrin says the book will feature an expansion of those photographed to include Travelling women, women who are homeless, those living and travelling with circuses, women who have transitioned to male and non-binary people.
She added: “There will be 100 stories with 200 photographs, two pictures of each woman, and more diversity with all colours, classes and different demographics.”
One outcome of the project has been collaboration with women who took part in the interviews and photo sessions.
These include Tindara, who has made films for the exhibition, and two other Thanet women.
Catrin said: “Lara has worked as my access support worker – I have ADHD and this is something that really flared up when I hit perimenopause – on putting in the Arts Council England funding application. Lara puts on Screaming Alley shows in Ramsgate and Ruth designed the posters and the poster for a night we are putting on at Ramsgate Music Hall to raise money for the book.
“I loved Ruth’s story as she entitled it Anonymous and her text talked about how conflicting it felt that she didn’t want to be known and how society has traditionally hidden older women – my book and exhibition celebrates them.
“Lara went onto HRT because of the project, reading all the stories as we applied for the Arts Council application, educated her so much that she was able to speak to her GP and get the treatment she needed.
“I love that a lot of the women I met through photographing them have become part of the project now – like Tindara who made the films and lives in Margate.”
The benefit event for the book, Colliderscope, will be held at Ramsgate Music Hall on Saturday, April 22.
This will take place from 8pm-1pm with all female artists including Tindara Sidoti McNarys film Making Bodies – a short film about body image- and DJs The Lilo Lovers from Leeds,
DJ Steene from East London and Catrin will be DJ-ing under her pseudo name Madame Swish
Early bird tickets for £10 are available until Thursday 6th April on the fundraiser page. Tickets are also available on the music hall website up until the night of the event.
Colliderscope is planned to become a regular night with the following one being held at Petticoat Lane Emporium cafe in July,
People can pre-order a copy of the book, which will be out next year, and help with its creation at the same time via the crowdfunder page.
The book is £25 – with post and packing taking from the cowdfunder page.
Find the crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/this-is-what-the-menopause-looks-like-book
Ramsgate circus theatre director and artist using photography and real-life stories for This Is What Menopause Looks Like exhibition
Oh what did women do ,to get through,the menopause,before art and so called famous celebrities got involved,these women think they are the first to go through it,the way they go on ,I admire the the women who just got on with it ,and got through it,we don’t need to hear ,all the one and outs,all the time ,now queue all the outrage
Hi Ray, please feel free to share how menopause has been for you if you feel comfortable.
I would ,but ,as Alice Cooper said ,only women bleed
So, logically, you don’t have a leg to stand on and your opinion comes across as rather misogynistic.
The only good thing about the menopause is that when it’s over you don’t have 5 days or so of non-stop bleeding every month.
Ray. You are unbelievably ignorant and rude. It is high time that the menopause was taken seriously by men.
Yeah ! Come on Ray – you clearly don’t realise how much suffering these women go through !
Us blokes have it easy. All we get is erectile dysfunction, low sperm count and prostate problems. So what if it takes you 20 minutes to pass water and 20 minutes later you need to go again ?
Do you think we could get arts council funding to mount an exhibition about it ? Of course not !
“Do you think we could get arts council funding to mount an exhibition about it ? Of course not !”
Have you actually tried, or are you just creating imaginary scenarios in your head where as a man, you get to play the oppressed victim?
John, you are quite right…male menopause is also horrible and the symptoms you describe can be also devastating to a man and his partner. No-one talks about it so it stays a secret heart breaking & shame ladden part of a man’s life.
So together let’s bring it out into the open, let’s do an event about it, let’s get funding to pay for advertising & printing of information booklets, hold workshops etc so that we can really widen the support, break down stigma & shame & help men & their partners who live with this loss & frustration.
I am happy to help you with this much needed & important project if you want, not that I’ve ever applied for Arts funding but together we can maybe work it out. Or maybe we can self fund it. Let me know.
Maybe get funding/advertising from Pfizer!
Ps. Don’t suppose your surname is Thomas is it?
Your response is clearly ”extracting the urine”.
John,
I am absolutely 100% serious. Ok…the “is your surname Thomas?” was an attempt at a joke (which I thought was funny). But everything else in my reply was a serious response and offer.
Let’s put some purpose to our passion and hold an exhibition/workshops/group support sessions/individual counselling for anyone who wants to learn more or get support.
Us trying to help people with this hidden problem can’t do any harm can it? So let’s at least try.
Hi Rebekah:
What a fantastic idea. Ramsgate has plenty of artists and exhibition space. I don’t happen to know of any charities that focus on prostrate problems per se. But wouldn’t it be good to raise the profile of this horrible condition and encourage blokes to seek help early on.
Andrew,
Absolutely. Plus draw attention also to what Ray was saying about the terrible cost of medicines that are needed to help men (and their partner) with these issues.
I can start the ball rolling by booking a space in a gallery but as a woman I can’t speak first hand about the issues raised so we will need to advertise for contributers who have feelings, experiences & ideas on this topic to come forward.
My main complaint is as of next year,Hrt,is going to be £19 a year,if the reporting is correct ,due to campaigning by women ,quite right to,,men’s prostate medicine is paid monthly,by what the prescription price is ,at the time,ok it’s free when you retire ,but most men start before retirement age,will the price come down ,because it’s for men very much doubt it ,women do not have to take Hrt, because ,some cannot take it ,but men have to take prostate drugs or go around smelling of wee, let’s have a level playing field
Thank you for making these observations. These are all very valid points. But perhaps if you had made these comments at the outset rather than trying to belittle women, your thoughts would not come over as bitter? Trying to raise everybody up rather than bring others down is probably a better approach.
Why oh why are these comments allowed? As usual, the moderation is zilch.
Because we live in a country that has freedom of speech.
Nobody has been abusive.
Why do you seek to censor the comments ? Can you explain exactly what it is that offends you ?
Thanks John spot on
“Because we live in a country that has freedom of speech.”
Incorrect. We live in a country bound by the negative right to freedom of expression.