Breathing (Let It All Out)

Kaunas, 2011

In this project, attention is placed on the material qualities of breathing, the most basic of actions, one that we normally perform unconsciously. The sound that we make when breathing is very similar to the one that is made by the wind. Exhaling is releasing what cannot be changed, the suspension of troubling thoughts, whereas inhaling signifies the entry of new energy. Language is breathing, and breathing is a language.
The work was carried out in Kaunas (Lithuania) with groups as well as with individuals. People were taught a technique that helps to structure breath. They then interpreted this technique, creating an individual form, while listening to themselves and experiencing the duration, physical movements and effects involved in the process.
The work is dedicated to faceless first person storytelling, especially to those who are prevented from speaking. Lithuania is a country that has a history involving the political control of speech. In this project faceless narrative is replaced with silent breathing faces.