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."

Gallery label from

Out of Time: A Contemporary View, August 30, 2006-April 9, 2007.

Medium Four-channel video (color, sound), four LCD monitors and surrounding sound
Duration Breath I, 3:51 min. Breath II, 5:10 min. Breath III, 4:44 min. Breath IV, 3:58 min. Each: 15 1/4 x 12 3/4 x 4 3/4" (38.7 x 31.4 x 11.1 cm)
Credit Fund for the Twenty-First Century
Object number 529.2004.a-e
Department Media and Performance

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