~21,600 is a 24-hour durational video performance that renders the act of respiration as a process of material inscription. Emerging from the speculative framework of the artist's previous project, Ex.A.R.U. (Exo Auxiliary Respiratory Unit), the work explores the human condition as an aerophile, a being defined by an intrinsic, vital dependency on air.
Through a custom-engineered mask, the artist’s exhalations are captured by a microphone and transmitted in real-time to an airbrush, which marks a sheet of paper with a single point for every breath. Over the course of the 24-hour cycle, this systematic trace documents the movement of air and the presence of the body, positioning breathing as a mediator between human existence and fragile, interconnected environments.
By elevating breath from a background biological function to a performative medium, ~21,600 interrogates the entanglements between human respiration, planetary atmospheres, and the precarious conditions of survival. It offers a meditation on interdependency, where breath serves as a vital bridge between bodies, environments, and futures yet to be shaped.
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Witness reflection:
On Exiting Orbit and Entering Cosmic Consciousness
by Jana Putrle Srdić
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