ASPIRÉMONOS (2025)
Mixed media (turntables, lathe-cut records, Raspberry Pi, pressure sensor, OLED display, haptic drivers, eccentric rotating mass vibration motors, inflation bulb, melodica mouthpiece)
ASPIRÉMONOS is a multichannel sound art installation that projects trans joy as vital function and vital force. Using processed recordings of breath from 20 people, the piece constructs a lifeworld where trans joy can be expressed and shared through the act of respiration. The installation responds to the act of breathing as a form of viewer interaction for further symbolic exchange. Using turntables with built in speakers and digital audio playback on headphones, the installation provides a cyclical, aleatoric experience. The viewer interacts with the installation through the breath (or “breath”) of the viewer, which modifies the sounds and vibrations used to produce the composition and the piece in its entirety.
- Think of a time another trans person made you feel trans joy.
- Start recording.
- Inhale audibly, as you if breathed in that bliss when you felt it.
- Exhale audibly, as if you were sharing your breath with someone else to spread that exuberance.
- Let that breath become a sound that radiates the joy.
- Stop recording.
- Thank the person who made you feel that joy.
This work was manifest by the breath of: Al Pastries, Alexandra Hardwick, Anonymous (x 2), Ashley Seward, Atlas A. Lee-Reed, Billy Sigil, Bridget, EGG, Eve Vickers, Genna Joy, Hope Salmonson, Madeleine, Mariló, Ro Shapes Tickle, Sarah Hennies, Serena Hommes, Swerv, Yelahneb Unicornucopiax, and Yvonne.
ASPIRÉMONOS opens at “T4T”, a group gallery show at The Factory in Seattle, Washington, on June 12, 2025. The records used in the installation were released as impr010.