Harini Iyer | Video
Red, an ode to menstruation
A vision for ‘Menstrual Freedom’, the video explores the yearning of an isolated menstruating woman from an orthodox family against society's wishes.
Power is in knowledge.
Confidence is in Knowledge.
Choice is in knowledge.
So, I ask you today, how do you choose your Menstrual Freedom?
About the work
This artwork is part one of the vision for ‘Menstrual Freedom’. The video depicts the period when a menstruating woman from an orthodox family is isolated in a room for 4 days, every month. It is a juxtaposition of what she is expected to do (nothing) vs what she yearns and imagines to do — be free of all stigma and shackles; to explore oneself through movement.
As India marks its 75th year of Freedom, there’s still a lot of scope for growth in understanding menstruation. This is a format to reflect upon the dichotomy of what it is to be a free woman in India and how everything really starts with Menstrual Freedom and an open dialogue about it. This piece of work happened parallelly- music + movement + story development, all culminating together to touch upon briefly the vast subject of Menstrual Freedom.