During the Maker-in-Huis residency program at Nowhere, Lynn Gommes and Oriana Rose collaborate on a project exploring experiences with (side effects of) hormonal contraception. Their work is rooted in frustration over the impasse that contraception poses, anger at a medical system that sidelines women, and a deep sense of care for one another and future generations, especially during a time in which far-right governments are on the rise and rolling back long-fought feminist gains. Collecting personal stories about the so-called “side effects” of hormonal contraception, they critically examine the term itself, questioning descriptions like “possible,” “persistent,” “common,” and “severe” often used on medical leaflets to classify the various symptoms—what do these classifications truly mean in comparison to lived experiences? While contraceptives have been a milestone in women’s liberation, the severe mental and physical burdens they can cause are often dismissed or shrouded in shame. For decades in the history of hormonal contraception, control has been prioritised over care, and research stifled into alternative contraception that could lessen women’s suffering. Rather than labelling contraception as inherently good or bad, Lynn and Oriana explore its complexities, contradictions, and dilemmas.

At the heart of this research lies an exploration of form—how it shapes content, guides vision, and extends beyond mere representation. Questions about the boundaries between on- and offstage, the in-between space, and their dissolution continue to drive the research. Embracing an interdisciplinary approach, Lynn and Oriana are eager to experiment with audio, video, scenography, and movement, allowing form itself to become an active part of the inquiry.

Over the course of the year-long residency, the research gradually took the form of a multimedia performance-installation, bringing together live performance, documentary material, sound, and video. For “Possible, Persistent, Common, Severe“, Lynn and Oriana transformed the studio into an installation featuring a video work by Salmiak Studio that centres a self-determined female gaze. The installation functioned as a place to linger: visitors could sit among pillows, leaf through books and articles that had informed the research and listen to interviews in which people recounted their own experiences. At several moments during the festival, the quiet rhythm of the archive was interrupted by a live performance. Blending performance lecture and a collage of interviews, TikTok fragments, and recent research, the performance activated the material in the room. A soundscape by Diane Mahín functioned as the emotional centrepiece of the performance, carrying what could not be contained by words or information alone.

The project remains ongoing in its effort to build an archive of personal stories alongside a collection of other resources. We believe that representation matters and would love to be able to reflect the broad range of experiences out there. Do you have a positive or negative experience with hormonal contraception that you’d like to share? Reach out to us via Instagram.

Concept, text, and performance Lynn Gommes, Oriana Rose
Sound Diane Mahín
Film Annie van Noortwijk, Marije Seijn
Performer film Leyla de Muynck
Thanks to Productiehuis Nowhere, Cultuurfonds, Voordekunst and all our donors
Special thanks to the interviewees who shared their stories with us