Breathe

Created by Helen Cole

‘Entering in the dark room of Breathe we die in its darkness. Here we listen to each other, we entrust our breath and Breathe helps us back to life.’ ANDREA PAGNES, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, VENICE BIENNIAL PERFORMANCE ART WEEK

A mass ghost dance that burns and fades until our breath runs out.

Breathe is a sound and light installation of breath and echoes that brings people together from across the world though they never actually meet. Together we work, in empathy and resistance, drenched in shadow and hot white light, throwing our bodies into the fray.

Dance for this moment, like no one is watching you.

Breathe is an installation for darkened spaces and a series of one to one performances. In the one to one performances we meet each person and invite them to dance their own dance of resistance; to throw their bodies into the work. We record these dances and add each breath, each sound into the composition to evolve our shared ghost dance.

“Throw your body into the fight. Burn brightly, fade strongly, resist to the end.”

Breathe is funded by Arts Council England. Produced by Helen Cole and Alex Bradley at Arnolfini (UK), Arup Sound Lab (NYC) and Realworld Studios (UK). Developed and presented at Junta – Festival Internacional de Dança in Teresina and Festival Panorama in Rio, Brazil, the Venice International Performance Art Week, Gibney Dance Studios, NYC and Colston Hall, Bristol.

BANNER IMAGE: BREATHE, HELEN COLE © PAUL BLAKEMORE

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