Journal of breath and beats

The breath of sweet sleep, the breath of anxiety, the breath of talking to someone you have a crush on, or even the breath of making love? Every moment of breathing is a different pattern, a different physical experience, a time experience, and an emotional experience. Your breath is leading you, ahead of your judgment, it is essential, it keeps you alive.

Life starts with a breath. Baby’s breathing is the most standard, deeply inhaling the air into the bulging belly, and then slowly exhaling. Adults’ breath is influenced by complex experiences and interleaved thoughts, but we are barely aware of that.

My project is aiming at capture different breath patterns, (and possibly heartbeats patterns) by putting myself in different scenarios as a topology machine, in which I’ll reveal my mysterious life. It might go natural as the day goes, or go dramatic as I particularly look for. I carry a portable capture machine with me and record when I’m present to the moment/right after (to find a quiet place/when I’m not talking). My end result will be: scenario description + a series of audio + wave chart + drawing – so you listen, read and watch. That’s how we are going to communicate.

Ultimately, to question – if you and my breath and heart beating synchronize, are we closer to each other?

Julie Mehretu
Mind Breath Drawing, 2012 It has movement, depth/space, time, counterparts, construction