Blown

Breathing is a voluntary and involuntary function. Sometimes we are conscious of our breaths, or made aware of our breathing air’s origin. But these moments come infrequently. The same can be said of our ideologies. There are times when we purposefully take in and accept, or reject. But often belief systems are so pervasive and invisible, they are obtained without conscious thought.

I aim to unsettle the air we breathe and otherwise manipulate. If we consider the ubiquitous material we are suspended in, then we can begin to contemplate what seems invisible, like beliefs we uncritically accept. We might examine the political, cultural, and environmental implications of atmosphere and sky.

Buttons throughout the installation can be pressed to move air around this space. The inflated forms reference stories from my Nez Perce culture. Indigenous cosmologies can teach us how to attend to the air and reaffirm our connections to nonhumans. I invite the audience to intentionally interact with air, understand its agency, and recall our interconnectedness. Perhaps then we will start to breathe easier.