Work

Tactful Feminist Sensing: Designing for Touching Vaginal Fluids

Year: 2023
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Observing the texture, color, and conductivity of cervical mucus has the potential to support menstrual cycle and fertility tracking, generating a layer of rich bodily, tactile/haptic knowledge in addition to other collected data, such as cycle length or body temperature. This pictorial presents design explorations, four design concepts, and one prototype of a sensor for measuring the conductivity of cervical mucus in vaginal fluids. We present these as instances in the design space for sensing intimate bodily fluids and provide discussions on the proximities, visibilities, and temporalities of these sensing technologies. We offer the unfolding concept of “tactful feminist sensing”, opening up for further engagements with intimate care that attend to the multiplicity and fleshiness of bodies.
Language: English
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4383679889
FWCI: 10.65
Cites: 41
Cited by: 56
Related to: 10