THE BREATH BEFORE THE WORLD

Pneuma at the Threshold: The Ontology of Suffocation

The Breath Before the World is a filmed performance in which an artistactivist dances on an empty beach with their head enclosed in a transparent plastic bag. The work examines bodily vulnerability, the deprivation of air, and systemic inequalities related to breathing, transforming an intimate experience into a reflection on contemporary social issues.

Every movement becomes a statement, every stolen breath an act of resistance. The performance is accompanied by West African traditional instruments (gâtigo, shekere), whose rhythm interacts with the body, heightening tension and immersion.

Presented as a single-channel video installation, looped, on a projection or professional monitor in a dimly lit or subdued environment, the work invites viewers into a contemplative experience, where gesture and duration become instruments of inquiry.

When the plastic finally tears, a profound question remains: what if this “breath before the world” is not the breath that precedes life, but the one that heralds a world in which breathing is no longer a privilege allocated according to skin color, origin, or social class?