“But You Don’t Look Sick” – Making the Invisible Visible —

This year, two team members, Monika Pietrzak-Franger and Maria Morata Marco, will present their projects at Lange Nacht der Forschung on 24 April 2026 (17:00-23:00).

Have you ever been told you look perfectly fine while having to actively manage pain? At our interactive station at LNF, we explore why the phrase “you don’t look sick” can be more of a burden than a compliment. Inspired by Christine Miserandino’s famous blog post under the same title and her formulation of “Spoon Theory,” our cozy reading corner dives into the experiences of those living with Long COVID, ME/CFS, and chronic pain. Centrally, we invite visitors to reconsider how art and narrative can bridge the gap between personal experience of pain and its public perception.

Visitors are invited to step beyond the medical charts and engage directly with the human stories behind the diagnoses. You can browse through the publication Scheinbar genesen (Seemingly Recovered) by Monika Pietrzak-Franger which features photography by Peter Mayr, or take a look at Maria Morata’s “I Am Not My MRI”, which features visual interpretations of the McGill Pain Scale, or you can discuss dominant narratives of illness and pain with our researchers. These conversations highlight the current gaps in our health and social systems, questioning how we define “recovery” and “wellness” in a world that often ignores what it cannot see.

To make the invisible truly visible, we invite you to contribute to our Experience Wall. Using colours, words, or images, you can create a card that reflects your own perspective on pain or illness. Whether you stay for ten minutes or twenty, this multilingual (DE/EN/PL/ES) space offers a low-threshold, supportive environment to learn which words actually help in everyday life and how we can foster a more respectful, empathetic culture of care.