THE COLLECTION
Breath
Shirazeh Houshiary (British and Iranian, born Iran 1955)
2003. Four-channel video (color, sound), four LCD monitors and surrounding sound, Breath I, 3:51 min. loop. Breath II, 5:10 min. loop Breath III, 4:44 min. loop Breath IV, 3:58 min. loop Each: 15 1/4 x 12 3/4 x 4 3/4" (38.7 x 31.4 x 11.1cm). Fund for the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Shirazeh Houshiary
529.2004.a-e
Out of Time: A Contemporary View
August 30, 2006–April 9, 2007
Breath comprises four animations on screens placed on the walls of a room. Each screen is a visualization of the imprint of the breath of vocalists expanding and contracting as they hum songs from four religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Sufism. The delicate organic forms that register the vocalists’ breath and the audible succession of chants envelop viewers, immersing them in diverse cultures. On the recurring motif of breath in her work, Houshiary states: "I set out to capture my breath, to find the essence of my own experience, transcending name, nationality, cultures."
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