Breathe Within
the Unbreathable

Body-politics | Environment | Responsive Design

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Air is an active medium that shapes how we exist and relate to our surroundings. Conditioning the air refers not only to its physical and quality control through technologies such as air conditioning, as architect Daniel Barber unpacks, but also to the socio-political shaping of public space through climate management. As societies increasingly navigate threats carried through the air, breathing becomes an interface between body and world — both physically and politically.

‘Breathe Within the Unbreathable’ explores how individuals adapt to breathing in toxic or constrained environments, revealing the cultural, social, and political forces that shape respiration. The installation uses inflatables controlled by the participant’s breath, creating a dynamic system that both responds to and regulates breathing. Breath becomes both trigger and effect — activating the system while subtly coercing the body’s rhythms and limitations. Rather than asking how to breathe better, this performative installation prompts a more urgent question: how — and what — am I breathing now?​