Cellular Decisions

 

Cellular Decisions invites readers into a different kind of conversation about abortion—one that moves beyond the polarized debate in the United States and instead centers lived experiences, personal reflections, and the complexity of life itself. Created by anthropologist and documentary artist Arendse Reeh and public-health advocate Sarah Blust in New York in the fall of 2024, the exhibition draws from a state that has long acted as a sanctuary for those seeking abortion care. Through a partnership with the Reproductive Health Access Project, it is our hope to bring the stories gathered for this project back to the women at the heart of the topic.

This co-creative, multimodal exhibition features installations, voice recordings, and photographs made with participants involved in the project. Eight honest and brave women in New York, aged 24–70, contributed their perspectives on life and experiences with abortion. Each remains anonymous while offering a personal window into the subject. You can explore the various components of the exhibition by scrolling down the page.

 

 

WALK IN

sets the scene of the political landscape that every person with a uterus in the U.S. must navigate and take a stand on, while some simultaneously grapple with the life-altering decision of an abortion.
Walk In was positioned at the entrance of the exhibition – when it was shown at Global Health Film Days in Copenhagen in 2025 – immersing the audience in the experience of approaching an abortion clinic in New York. The piece consists of a film projection and audio depicting the streets outside a New York abortion clinic.

The film and audio recording are separated into two distinct parts. This allows the audience to encounter the overwhelming atmosphere outside Planned Parenthood either by watching the visuals without sound or by listening without images, highlighting how the same scene can feel different when experienced through a single sense. The audio and visuals were recorded during a protest and counter-protest outside Planned Parenthood on Bleecker Street in New York City.

 

 

I THINK I FELT NUMB

aims to convey the bodily sensations and experiences of women who have undergone an abortion. The audio is formed as a shared voice from the diverse experiences of the participating women. Trying to refocus the public discussion on abortion, this piece is bringing the conversation back to the personal stories of the women. Visually, this piece projects a recording of a flower growing out of a stone. Simultaneously, the audience hear sounds from a forrest, shaping a calm landscape for the women to revisit their memories. 

 

 

MOMENTS OF LIFE

In Moments of life all 8 participants were asked to recall a moment where they felt truly alive in their everyday lives. Together, we conceptualized visuals, captured with disposable cameras, to illustrate their different moments of life. Each photo is paired with the participant’s voice explaining their personal Moment of Life. This piece was shaped in the hope of broadening the conversation about life as something that exists not only within the womb but all around us in our lived experiences. 

 

 

The Artist

Arendse Reeh is an anthropologist and artist with a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Copenhagen and professional experience in both media and art. In her anthropological practice, she employs multimodal and co-creative methods—such as film, photo-voice, and collective poetry—to convey narrative stories on broader themes while developing a shared language for collective reflection. Her practice often takes shape as documentary exhibitions as the one seen above.

Collaborator Sarah Blust, based in New York, has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare field. She helped organize meetings with the participating women and contributed extensive with knowledge to the project.