Breath(less), 2026
This work explores what is left after loss. We move through life experiencing loss as a recurring phenomenon, yet something always persists. The breath became a central metaphor. I am fascinated by the breath. It is one of the only bodily actions controlled by both our parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. Controlled and also controllable. The loss of life is marked by the stopping of this (often unnoticed) action, yet it is also the thing that endures and connects us all. The form was constructed by making a plaster mold of leather-hard clay. Once dry, liquid latex was cast into the mold. Its shape is meant to be familiarly anatomical but not obvious or recognizable. The object uses a simple mechanism taken from an animatronic toy dog to simulate a slow, rhythmic breathing motion. It is powered by a single battery. If left in continuous motion, the battery will eventually die, the movement will stop, and the piece will become still.
