The Bloody Beautiful festival is a celebration of pioneering voices in women’s health.
Speakers and Artists
Monica Lennon
Monica Lennon is a Scottish Labour and Co-operative Member of the Scottish Parliament. Passionate about gender equality and women’s health, she spearheaded a campaign to combat period poverty and introduced the ground-breaking Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act. The legislation passed in 2020, making Scotland the first country in the world to introduce universal free access to menstrual products for all citizens who need them.
Dr. Louise Newson
Dr. Louise Newson is a multi-hyphenate champion committed to increasing awareness and understanding of perimenopause and menopause. She is an award-winning doctor, a women’s hormone specialist, a member of the UK Government’s Menopause Taskforce, educator and best-selling author. Described as “the medic who kickstarted the menopause revolution”, she has empowered a generation of women to gain greater understanding, choice and control over their health journeys.
Tammy Sheldon
Tammy Sheldon is the co-founder and chair of the trailblazing grassroots initiative Neighborhood Feminists. On a mission to end period poverty, the organisation works from a feminist and anti-racist perspective to organise local, direct-impact projects. For the past five years their “menstruation stations” have provided free period products to the public in Amsterdam. In 2022, Neighborhood Feminists published Amsterdam’s first-ever survey on period poverty.
René Boer
René Boer works as a critic, curator and organizer in and beyond the fields of architecture, design, heritage and the arts. In his practice he articulates new perspectives on spatial conditions and facilitates fertile ground for imagining and materialising alternatives. Based between Cairo and Amsterdam, he is a founding partner of Loom, a practice for cultural transformation. His latest book, Smooth City, explores the politics of city design, challenging the obsession with urban ‘perfection’.
Aida Bilajbegovic
Aida is programme manager with a focus on health at WOMEN Inc., one of the most dynamic NGOs in the Netherlands, dedicated to driving gender equality forward. She is a Bosnian-Dutch medical anthropologist and feminist. Before joining WOMEN Inc., she worked as a senior programme officer at Rutgers, a Dutch centre of expertise on sexual and reproductive health and rights, where she managed various programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Malawi.
Menstrual Matters
Menstrual Matters is a popular event series curated by the community-led collective The Ovaries and Crampy. With a focus on honest, inclusive dialogue, the series unpacks the often-unspoken realities of menstrual, reproductive, and sexual health. Through storytelling, connection, and shared experience, Menstrual Matters creates a powerful space for learning, unlearning, and action. Menstrual Matters will lead a vital Gossip Session on endometriosis.
Letizia Chiappini
Letizia Chiappini is co-founder of the collective Slutty Urbanism – a cyborg creature that is fertilised with gender theory, digital feminism, urban sociology and histories of urban planning. In her work, Letizia Chiappini critiques extractive digital markets and develops tools for understanding grassroots initiatives and resistance practices that can be supported by new urban digital platforms. She uses her expertise in research and activism as a tenured Assistant Professor of Digital Geography and Urban Sociology at the University of Twente.
Fillip Studios
Fillip Studios is an internationally acclaimed art and design studio led by Roos Meerman and Tom Kortbeek. Their work sparks connection and wonder, blending cutting-edge technology with deep collaboration in the realms of science, culture and industry. In partnership with Radboud University Medical Center, they recently explored a radical rethinking of vaginal pessaries—devices worn by 1.8 million women in the Netherlands—to imagine a more women-centred future for pelvic health.
Radhieka Bansidhar
Radhieka Bansidhar founded Menstrucation at just 20, driven by the gap she saw in menstrual education during her own school years. As a cycle educator working with middle schoolers in Rotterdam, she speaks directly and openly with young people — of all genders — about periods, pain, and support. By demystifying period products and encouraging empathy in the classroom, Radhieka is equipping the next generation with knowledge, confidence, and body literacy.
Petra Kroon
Long-time Bloody Beautiful ambassador Petra Kroon is an artist — though, as she puts it, “not the kind of art you’d want to hang above your couch.” Working through journalism and photography, she explores deeply existential and sharply political themes, from medical misogyny to the stigma of loneliness. Her most recent research at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague offers a searing critique of clichéd visual portrayals of menopausal people, captured in her powerful book Silenced Womb.
Maria Carmen Punzi
Maria Carmen Punzi is a self-proclaimed “biggest fan of the menstrual cycle you will ever meet”. Her PhD in menstrual health was completed at the Erasmus University business school – where she explored how companies can integrate menstrual health into the workplace and how organisations can challenge period taboos through the way they communicate their products. As an activist, academic and menstruation educator, she actively translates research into advocacy and social change, contributing to public debates on femtech, menstrual equity and reproductive rights.
Dr. Natalie Dixon
Dr. Natalie Dixon is co-founder of the international Bloody Beautiful movement for celebrating stories about menstruation and menopause using art and design reaching more than half a million people in its mission. Natalie is a born storyteller, researcher and writer with a passion for narratives from the margins. She has 25 years experience in the cultural and media fields with a current focus on how powerful creative tools can create more equitable and diverse public conversations about women's health.
Klasien van de Zandschulp
Klasien van de Zandschulp is co-founder of the Bloody Beautiful movement for celebrating stories about menstruation and menopause using art and design. Klasien is the creative driving force behind the story-based and participatory experiences that are exhibited as part of the movement, blending digital/physical and online/offline interactions. Her creative practice explores sensory design, embodiment, rituals, augmented realities, human interaction and (radical) thoughts around our daily technology consumption.
Dr. Camilla Mørk Røstvik
Dr. Camilla Mørk Røstvik is Associate Professor in History at the University of Agder in Norway with a longstanding research interest in the history, cultures and art of menstruation. Her first book, Cash Flow: The Businesses of Menstruation (2022), focused on capitalism and menstrual product history. In it she offers a sharp feminist take on menstrual capitalism and the product-solution mindset of the menstrual product industry.
Thaïs Zuchetti
Thaïs Zuchetti is a Brazilian-born multidisciplinary designer specialised in architecture. Alongside her career as an architect in the Netherlands, she recently graduated with an MSc in Architecture from the Academy of Architecture with her graduation project Lunar Lessons: Habitat for Interplanetary Living. As part of her extensive two-year research, Zuchetti participated in an analogue mission at the Analogue Astronaut Center in Poland. During this time, she kept a period journal to monitor changes in her menstrual cycle in the simulated space environment.
Frank Bosma
Frank Bosma is a creative developer connecting people with purpose through playful experiences, whether that's online or offline. Frank has been a passionate developer for 25 years, always keeping up with the ever evolving digital landscape of languages, libraries and methodologies - which means he never has a dull moment. His expertise ranges from apps, services, installations and sites to VR and 3D design. Projects he collaborated on have been shown at highly renowned festivals like SXSW, Cannes Festival’s Immersive Competition and the Venice Biennale.
Patricia Nagtzaam
Patricia Nagtzaam is an interaction designer passionate about exploring the intersection of ubiquitous systems, communication tools, and speculative techno-ecological interactions. Through this feminist practice, they question the ways technology and materiality might be innovatively used to foster ethical and intimate connections with The Other.
They recently started their MA New Media at Aalto University in Finland, and are part of developing cyborg-style heat-sensor wearables for Hot Flash Dance Clash.
Guanyan Wu
Guanyan Wu is a graphic designer and artistic researcher based in Amsterdam, working across the public and cultural sectors, and commercial brands. Seeing design as an inherently interdisciplinary practice, she earned an MA in Social Design from Design Academy Eindhoven, where she developed skills in design research, object making, and sound practice. As a DJ, Guanyan plays high-tempo, bass-heavy sets that move fluidly through breakbeats, guaracha, dembow, techno, and more, blending in nostalgic mandopop and canto-pop from her heritage to generate an energy that is both communal and personal.
Nicolette Lazarus
When Nicolette Lazarus founded the community and online platform Womanship, it was driven by a deeply personal motivation: she felt a certain type of conversation was missing. She created Womanship to offer safe, empowering spaces for women to “Share More, Worry Less.” Drawing on her research into how and why women worry, she supports women in validating one another through shared life transitions, connecting them with trusted health professionals and hosting events where she moderates intimate Empathy Circles. With over 30 years of experience in the creative industries, Nicolette is now the Chief Connection Officer of Womanship and a spokesperson for female empowerment, DEI and entrepreneurship.
Inge Schriemer
Dutch heritage collections have paid little attention to menstruation. At the Dutch Open Air Museum (Nederlands Openluchtmuseum) where Inge Schriemer is a curator, there is plenty of information on how the people historically ate, washed their clothes and worked. But until recently, there was no information about how people dealt with their periods. Inge missed this and set up a participatory project to gather objects and experiences about menstruation, resulting in 162 personal stories, 159 objects added to the Dutch national collection and 183 photographs added to the Dutch Open Air Museum's collection. This new archive gives menstruation a visible place in our collective history.
Morgane Billuart
Morgane Billuart gives a voice to the complexities of female health in her autotheoretical publication Cycles, the Sacred and the Doomed. This research centres her own lived experience with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), a highly neglected condition, and takes a critical look at optimization of the body through femtech. As a writer and visual artist Morgane’s work explores digital discourses and internet culture through a feminist lens. She is an affiliated researcher at the Institute of Network Cultures and the New Center for Research and Practice, and co-hosts the podcast GirlEmployee.
Dr. Kim Notten
More than half of women over the age of 40 suffer from pelvic organ prolapse. More. Than. Half. Driven by the significant need for better treatment options, Dr. Kim Notten co-initiated the development of a game-changing medical device for pelvic organ prolapse: the Flexupp pessary. After more than a decade of research and conversations with pessary users, this new solution adapts to each woman’s unique anatomy, causing less pain and discomfort. Dr Kim Notten is head of the Division of Urogynecology at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, and has dedicated her career to improving the lives of patients with pelvic floor disorders. Alongside her team, her research focuses on pelvic floor anatomy, imaging, and optimising treatment strategies for these conditions.
Dr. Mirjam Weemhoff
Dr. Mirjam Weemhoff understands that every patient she sees is unique. Specialised as a uro-gynaecologist and holding a doctorate in pelvic floor ultrasound, she is the chair of the Pelvic Floor Center at Zuyderland Medical Center. Her work involves supporting people experiencing incontinence, pain during sex, and discomfort caused by pelvic organ prolapse. Dr Weemhoff empowers each patient to choose the treatment that suits them best, whether surgical or medical, and is committed to providing the right support to help them maintain autonomy in their daily lives. She believes in improving healthcare through design, which inspired her involvement in the development of the super innovative pessary, Flexupp, alongside Dr. Kim Notten and Fillip Studios.
Debra Knoop
As a researcher, curator and feminist, Debra Knoop strives to put menstruation into museums. She has deep-dived into the history of period fashion, discovering fascinating stories of how women used to deal with menstruation under their clothing; from inventive constructions of sanitary belts to the materiality of washable menstrual pads. Debra is a longtime ambassador of Bloody Beautiful, and was our collaborator and speaker at our event Intergenerational Storytelling at Amsterdam Museum. There, Debra and 1970s menstruation activist Elly Brink shared a unique archive of letters sent to Elly by menstruators.
Anka Diaz
Anka Diaz knows the torment of endometriosis and the self-doubt that comes from being repeatedly told, “It’s all in your head” or “It’s just part of being a woman.” But her journey to understanding her condition and finding ways to care for herself has led to a deep commitment to helping others facing the same struggle. Anka launched her coaching practice, Balancella, to be there when healthcare providers can no longer offer answers. As a certified Inner Balance Coach, she supports women in finding more energy, less pain and a greater sense of balance.
Sputniko!
Sputniko! is a multimedia artist and filmmaker creating works around the themes of technology, gender and feminism. In 2022 she was commissioned by UnicornDAO to create an NFT artwork titled Menstrualverse. The work offered a Menstruation Machine as a wearable in Decentraland to examine questions of identity and choice within the emerging landscape of the metaverse. The wearable sparked a clash between feminist politics and internet culture and was ultimately banned by Decentraland. The Menstruation Machine was minted in 2023 and ultimately sold via auction through Sotheby’s.
Dymphie Braun
Dymphie is an experienced programme maker, facilitator, and strategist driven by the principles of equality and inclusion, with the mission to use creativity as a tool for new ideas and solutions related to social justice. She organises programmes, events, and talk shows about art, (inclusive) design & technology, and is also an experienced moderator - having hosted talks and panels for Bloody Beautiful events and organisations such as Amnesty NL, Amsterdam Dance Event, Amsterdam Museum, Effenaar, Felix Meritus, FOAM, Pakhuis de Zwijger, N8BM Amsterdam, and Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie.
Lisa Zuidema
Lisa Zuidema is a health scientist and PhD candidate at Máxima MC and Maastricht University, with a background in medical ethics. Her research focuses on experiences of menstruation and endometriosis, exploring how people who menstruate experience their cycles, pain, and shame, and how healthcare and society can better respond to these realities. Passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices, she combines academic research with advocacy to challenge menstrual taboos and raise awareness about endometriosis. This January, she launched a module on diverse menstruation experiences on the online platform “Talking About Health”
where stories of 33 people are shown.
Baarmoedergeheimen (Rosanne Martens & Anna Musch)
If you spot a friendly, human-sized uterus, you’ve probably come across Baarmoedergeheimen (Secrets of the Womb). This initiative by social designers Rosanne Martens and Anna Musch was born out of a shared strong interest in social issues, concept development and research. Together, they set out as a duo to break the taboo surrounding the womb. With Rosanne’s playful illustrations and Anna’s expertise in spatial and graphic design, they have been putting the womb in the spotlight since Dutch Design Week 2024.
Far
Far has been through four surgeries for endometriosis and has explored everything from holistic treatments to clinical approaches. She will generously be sharing her personal journey, including how she managed to juggle school and work while dealing with the condition.
Annica Muller
Since graduating from HKU's acting programme in 2015, Annica has woven together personal engagement with often unheard stories, creating new, shared narratives. Through humour and perspective, Annica breaks taboos and opens conversations about complex subjects. Annica is the MC of Hot Flash Dance Clash, where she gets audiences dancing in her own inimitable way.
