Blood means red, fear and pain but at the same time it's attraction and fascination, like something you want to look away from but you're stuck on it mysteriously. Many artists and writers talked about this mystical source of energy, this continual cycle that flows in the veins is what makes us humans alive. Denver-based menstrual designer/conceptual artist Jen Lewis and photographer Rob Lewis show that blood from menstruation is not any kind of blood, it has the power to regenerate every month in a woman’s body in order to create life. Thus, they both present this fervent symbol in surprisingly beautiful ways; their project is a visual exploration of menstrual fluid through the use of macrophotography. As Jen pours the crimson liquid into a small aquarium containing fresh and salt water, Rob captures the graceful movements it makes while gliding through the water.

The resulting photos are stunning, ethereal and almost seem like scientific imagery in slow motion. While the topic is traditionally regarded as taboo, there is a strong undercurrent of activists propelling an unprecedented cultural renaissance for the menstrual cycle. ‘Beauty in Blood’ asserts that 'menstruation needs to be seen to help normalize the female body as well as to acknowledge this part of the female experience'. Lewis is using her periods as a basic natural tool to capture viewers’ imaginations and invite them to take a closer look at, and reflect upon, their personal gut reactions to the subject of menstruation. This project just proves again that taboos can be quashed with art. In the photographs’ result, the forms created by the fluids look like these fascinating but dark animals in the very deep oceans- time is stopped and the stark contrast of bright crimson against the porcelain white bowl gives intensive colours. Once again, blood has something magical.

beautyinblood.com