Labor Lab

This book explores the human body—from hormonal and photographic perspectives—as both a political instrument and a site of knowledge production. Labor Lab is an experimental photo series in which liquid hormonal substances are applied directly to exposed photographic negatives, triggering chemical reactions within the photo emulsion that are later developed into large-format prints in the darkroom. Through this photochemical “hack,” the series produces portraits of hormones—the substances that underpin connection, reproduction, sex, sleep, hunger, ageing, growth, contraception, and abortion. The photographs transform these intimate bodily experiences into an aesthetically tangible and accessible form, opening them up to interpretation and debate.

The volume includes four essays by contributors who took part in the interdisciplinary discussions that preceded and accompanied the first exhibition of Labor Lab at the Schering Stiftung in 2024: Esther Leslie, Margarida Mendes, Jeannie Moser, Heiko Stoff, and Asya Yaghmurian.