2004
The intention of Breath Test is to engage the viewer in a momentary contemplation of the power each of us possesses with respect to material integrity, even when faced with something so seemingly sturdy and durable as a building. The work is installed in a space empty but for a microphone hanging from the ceiling. As the viewer steps up to the microphone and blows, he or she is able to destroy a house with the force of 30-kiloton atomic bomb. Entering into this constructed environment, one gains ownership of the experience and the space, as well as the power to alter the elements within it.
Breath Test explores the idea of exchanging a space for the imprint it leaves,addressing the shadows and corners that exist within a room, a on cellular memory, reach, and need. It deals with notions of stability and temporality in an atmosphere in flux, questioning whether it is only specific human decisions that can destroy the built environment, or if shifts in economics and ideologies can possess just as much physical power.