What would seem commonplace, the necessity of breath, is shuttled to the backstage as we react to various stimuli in our lives. Our brains have developed far beyond the management of basic physical needs: our autonomic nervous system normally handles them quite well, but we often unconsciously hold our breath or allow it to become shallow and irregular as we make our way through the stresses of the day. Failure to breathe regularly can last into the night in the form of sleep apnea, a potentially dangerous breakdown of the autonomic system.

Engaging alternate senses to reinforce awareness can be an effective means of changing conscious behavior, and one might surmise that the autonomic system can be guided or retrained to some degree as well. By observing patterns of breath at various stages during the day and night, one could develop methods to counteract bad unconscious habits through practice, yoga, breathing exercises, and other solutions as well.

This project seeks to illustrate, through visual cues, the interplay between stress, laughter, communication, and other catalysts affecting breath. Participants are encouraged to engage the subject in conversation, suspense, song, surprise, and laughter and be thus drawn into a sympathetic game of call and response: stimulation through speech, watching and listening for effect, rapidly coming to see how little we breathe while we utilize our respiratory system to communicate.