Menstruation Machine by Sputniko!

In what can be seen as a material generative system, Multimedia artist Sputniko! introduced the Menstruation Machine, a provocative wearable device designed to simulate the pain and bleeding of menstruation. The work is one of the most well-known in the decade, even appearing at MoMA the following year at the exhibition Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects curated by Paola Antonelli. The machine, resembling a chastity belt, is equipped with electrodes and a blood-dispensing system, allowing anyone—regardless of gender—to experience a five-day menstrual cycle. Accompanied by a video narrative, the project challenges societal norms around gender and the biological experience of menstruation. By externalizing and publicizing this private process, Sputniko! opens a dialogue on the intersections of identity, technology, and the future of human biology.