Background

In my diploma project at ENSCi les Ateliers, I'm exploring the story of my family's emigration, from Romania to France, via 30 years of life in Africa.

I'm deconstructing my grandparents' oral accounts, isolating the emotions of the moments they experienced, and transcribing their story into objects

Process

In 1985, after more than 20 years outside the country, my grandmother and mother obtained French nationality and were finally able to return to see their family in Romania without danger. My grandmother had hidden around fifty sterilets in her suitcase. The customs officer looked at her and asked, “What are these doing here?” She replied that she didn't know.

After a long exchange of glances, the customs officer let her pass. At the time, contraception was forbidden in Romania, and getting IUDs through customs was very dangerous, so my mother and grandmother risked their freedom to bring these objects into the country and distribute them to women.

In this anecdote, the IUD becomes a feminist weapon, an object feared by the state, like a weapon concealed at customs. I chose to conceal them in a ceramic samovar, for the symbolism of the object, and for the surprise effect of the vase shattering on the floor, releasing its illegal contents.

The IUDs were cast in aluminum, using a sand mold created from PLA printing. The samovar was made by Clémence Nollim, from a 3D model i did.

Credits

The samovar was made by Clémence Nollim.

This project was conceived at ENSCi les Ateliers, under the guidance of Teddy Sanches, designer at Hall Haus.

Photos by me.