Imagine, it’s the year 2050 and artificial wombs are able to carry full-term pregnancies. People born from this will receive an invitation on their eighteenth birthday to visit a monument that exhibits part of the artificial womb. 

Many people report that they feel a strong connection to and have memories of the artificial wombs in which they grew. A visit to the monument therefore marks an important life event. Womb monuments give these people a place to return to. They forge a meaningful connection with the machines that gave them life. 

With this speculative experience, we want to spark new ideas about future reproductive scenarios and family ties. Can we think beyond the current family tree? And how do we experience new forms of kinship and the sense of being part of something bigger than ourselves? 

DesignLab (University of Twente) x ESDiT (ethics of socially disruptive technologies) x Lisa Mandemaker

Designer: Lisa Mandemaker
Research & concept development: Margoth Gonzalez-Woge, Cristina Zaga
Creative production: Jorge Davos Sainz, Dianneris Díaz, Riki Ogawa, Leon Peters, Daria Sergeeva, Lars van der Werf, Twan Wildeboer
Graphic design & illustrations: Lisa Strijbosch, Jana Vis
Voice-over: Dominque Jansen
Music composition: Jamila Blokzijl
Philosophy: Lily Frank, Julia Hermann, Naomi Jacobs, Llona Kavege
Special thanks: Alexandru Amariei, Rayhan Aryoseno Bayuaji, Julieta Matos Castaño, Peter-Paul Verbeek, Sabine Wildevuur, DesignLab’s Dreamteam and all workshop participants
Exhibition: Embassy of Health, Dutch Design Week 2022