TAKE PART IN 2023
***We currently now have a waiting list to take part in this year’s project***
Have you been diagnosed with Endometriosis or are exploring a possible diagnosis? Would you like to explore body paint to help raise awareness? We’re looking for 20 women* to take part in the next wave of our empowering body painting series during Endometriosis Awareness Month (March 2023).
Endomorphosis is part of Metamorphosis, our ongoing research and development project in which we’ve been studying this global art form, from its ancient roots, to modern cultural form, to how body painting can be an empowering tool to boost well-being.
WHAT’S INVOLVED?
We will be delivering 2 workshop days in March 2023 (Endometriosis Awareness Month), where participants will work with a group of local artists.
All dates and how to sign up are below.
All of our ideas and thoughts will be explored in a celebratory day of body painting at the end of the month, where everyone will be painted and professionally photographed.
We will then share your stories and images to raise awareness of Endometriosis through beautiful body art.
We have found that art is the perfect tool to raise awareness, to be a catalyst for social change, and to support individuals’ own holistic well-being. 2023 is the second year of this project.
Through this project we:
> Bring women together. Forming friendships and building support networks so that participants are better able to live with Endometriosis in the future.
> Create beautiful art. Teaching people creative skills and boosting self-confidence.
> Raise awareness of Endometriosis to help women secure earlier diagnoses. We use art as a means to capture people’s attention. We then share information about Endometriosis online and in person, with our local community, with healthcare professionals and with women with Endometriosis and those exploring a diagnosis.
“Your whole body goes through so much and for me it led to negative thoughts and feelings about my body that became detrimental to my mental health and well-being.
Endometriosis is a whole-body disease, both physically and mentally, so I wanted to create a project which represented that. By delivering this project myself as an artist and painting a group of women who have been on a similar journey and seeing them transform was even more powerful than I could have imagined”
– Emily Wood (Artistic Director)
“ This was one of the most amazing, empowering, therapeutic, and beautiful experiences I have ever had.”
– Participant 2022
PARTICIPANT INFO
To take part you must:
> *Be a woman or assigned female at birth who has been diagnosed with Endometriosis.
> Commit to the meet and greet day and the painting day.
> Be 18+
DATES
Meet, Greet & Creative Session: Saturday 18th March 2023. 11am – 4pm
We will be providing lunch as well.
Celebratory Body Painting Day: Saturday 25th March 2023: 10am – 6pm
WHERE
All sessions will take place at: The Vale, Micklehurst Road, Mossley, Greater Manchester, OL5 9JL
FAQs
Do I have to be diagnosed with Endometriosis
You can take part of you have been diagnosed or are exploring a possible diagnosis.
Do I need to attend both days?
Yes. The meet & greet day is very important as we will be explaining how everything works, getting to know each other, and going through important information for the painting day. Please let us know your availability anyway, but before applying please bear this in mind.
How will the sessions work?
The workshop and celebration day will take place at The Vale in Mossley, in the workshop session we will be taking inspiration from your stories, as well as exploring creative ideas, and having fun with paint.
It will be a lovely supportive atmosphere to share stories, experiences, and ideas around how Endometriosis has affected your life, raising awareness, being creative, and mainly come together to celebrate our beautiful bodies as they are.
There will also be plenty of brews and lunch on offer.
Do I have to take all my clothes off?
When we are doing the body painting you can do whatever you feel most comfortable with, we can paint over clothes, you can be partially clothed, or you get painted in your underwear, it’s your choice, however as it’s body painting we will need to paint some of your skin.
How will we be photographed?
When we photograph on the day, you direct whatever you feel comfortable doing.
For both individual and group photos you can decide whether to remain anonymous or not. We will be guided by how you’re feeling – even if you change your mind on the day. It will be a great celebration of our journey together as a group.
What will happen on the painting day?
After having a meet and greet day sharing ideas, our team of around 10 artists will be painting everyone and having some amazing group photos and individual photos celebrating and bringing together all the ideas and inspiration we have come up with as a group. We will let you know more once we confirm your place. Most of all, we will be having a lot of fun!
Every person on the day also will be female or assigned female at birth and the space will be private for you and our team.
SIGN UP
Please select and fill out the relevant form below and a member of our team will get in touch. All of your answers are strictly confidential and only shared with a small number of our team.
WHY ENDOMETRIOSIS?
We have found combining art and raising awareness are a perfect combination and tool for social change, as well as wellbeing and empowerment.
It takes 8 years on average for a diagnosis of this condition. This is both because of low awareness amongst clinical professionals and women’s own expectations of periods, specifically that high pain is typical and must just be tolerated.
Through sharing information online, sharing work with the local community and friends and family, we want to help raise awareness and help women secure diagnoses earlier.
Our artistic director Emily also has lived experience with endometriosis.
For more information you can read more at:
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METAMORPHOSIS
Endomorphosis is part of our ongoing research and development project into body painting called Metamorphosis. From studying the art form across the globe from its ancient roots and modern cultural forms, to how the body painting can become a tool for wellbeing and empowerment.
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE
This project is funded by:
