on breathing

This video is a part of a digital arts-based collaboration with the amazing Andrea Hoff. This was our first of a series of weekly prompts which we each explored via our own artistic research practice.

Buddhist monk and peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh died on the 22nd of January. I had been unaware of his impact and teachings until seeing the outpouring of gratitude and love for him on social media. I decided to seek out his work. This quote from Art of Living struck me as so beautiful and resonate with a posthumanist ontological perspective:

“Breathing in, I see all my ancestors in me: my mineral ancestors, plant ancestors, mammal ancestors, and human ancestors. My ancestors are always present, alive in every cell of my body, and I play a part in their immortality."

In the context of this quote and these last days and hours of January, your first prompt is to consider how ‘breathing in’ relates to your research.