Worry Work

A research installation mapping the invisible weight of women's worries.

In 2025, we began a research project to understand what women worry about—and how those worries might be made visible. Commissioned by Womanship, an Amsterdam-based social enterprise, and supported by the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), the project explored worry as both a personal experience and a collective condition.

For the commission, we designed and built a playful mobile research unit. This travelling micro-installation could be deployed at community events and public gatherings. Nicknamed the Worry Installation, it appeared across Amsterdam and culminated in a large-scale presentation at Dutch Design Week 2025, where it engaged more than 14,000 visitors.

The installation invites participants to select a coloured worry bead and place it into one of a series of transparent tubes. Over time, individual contributions accumulate into a living data visualisation, revealing where the weight of worry gathers across different aspects of women's lives. The categories, developed from Womanship's existing research, include Career & Finance, Sex & Relationships, Motherhood & Family, Physical Well-being, Emotional Well-being, Fertility & Pregnancy, Death & Bereavement, and Menopause & Ageing.

On the reverse side of the installation, a quieter space offers an opportunity for reflection. Participants can write down their worries on a card, choosing either to display their thoughts publicly or anonymously contribute them to the ongoing research archive.

The resulting work is both dataset and dialogue. It’s  a collective portrait of concern that makes visible the often-unseen emotional labour women carry, while creating a space for recognition, conversation and connection.

Credits

Commissioned by Womanship, led by Nicolette Lazarus.
Cultural data analysis by Dalila Menebhi and Lux Voorzanger.
Installation co-designed and built by René Vullings.