For this fifth part of the 'My Self' series I research 'breath' and the act of ‘gasping’. I research this in the context of individualization; taken that the first breath of a fetus is the first step towards individualization/becoming an individual. From the uterus, children share their breath with their mother; after they leave their mother’s womb they become independent by breathing on their own: breathing corresponds to the first autonomous gesture of the living human being. Though, at the same time, individually breathing also means to share air with others for the first time, collectively. Thus, this detachment from the mother attaches the fetus with the environment and others. Breath seems to be the sign of the beginning and the end of life.

This installation and accompanying performance is the crystallization of my research up til now, launched at SIM Residency, inspired by my journey through Iceland.
* My research began in polluted China (2019), continued in the Netherlands affected by COVID, and has reached its final fulfillment in the crisp air of Iceland.