Breath with Me
Sep 2019 | New York | Jeppe Hein
Sep 2019 | New York | Jeppe Hein
“Breathe with Me” is a public art action for the world, conceived and executed by our client Jeppe Hein and ART 2030. It was initiated at the UN Headquarters from the 21st to the 24th of September, during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, before moving on to New York’s iconic Central Park. From the 25th to the 27th of September, this large-scale public participatory artwork invited audiences to paint their own “breath” for climate action and a more sustainable future. Every breath took the form of painted blue parallel lines on the artwork’s canvas walls: each line for an exhale.
Backbone International coordinated this project together with our supplier NUSSLI Group. Our team also managed the site and permitting in Central Park. Working in a public park where we have no control over the park patrons and no real boundaries is always a challenge. Ensuring the safety of everyone but still finding a way to build the project in only 2 days efficiently was quite a challenge. Seeing the audience come in and interpret in their own way what it means to breathe was fascinating and awe-inspiring. From young children to baby boomers, everyone had their own individual interpretation.
