Collective Breathing
A short facilitated performance
Collective Breathing Exercise is a public artwork that aims to revive the sense of collectivity within the public through the universal experience of the breath. The work invites strangers to come together and breathe in synchrony for a moment. Through this activity, I hope to bring attention to the collective nature of an action that we do every day - breathing.
The exercise can be done by either 3+ people sitting in a circle or two people sitting back-to-back.
Circle format for 3+ people
Step-by-step guide
Each person sits in the circle facing the back of the person beside them.
2. They will then place their hand on the back of the person beside them and focus on the pattern in which the back moves.
3. Their task is to sync their breath to the pattern they sense.
4. Everyone in the circle is connected, thus over time, everyone will start to breathe at the same pace and depth.
5. You can decide when to end the exercise, and follow by checking-in with how everyone went!
Back-to-Back
These stickers invite you to take a seat, back-to-back with a friend or a stranger.
You can recreate the performance by playing the audio below while sitting back-to-back with a partner.
These pictures and videos were taken by Emma Byrnes and Reinhart Tanto during Public Art park 2022