exhale: breath between bodies continues the technological exploration initiated with <between bodies>. Exhale explores the empathic nature of networked breath. Networked breath is used to create output patterns through small vibrators sewn into the inside of the waistband, and speakers that are embedded in the lining of these sensually evocative skirts. This response enables a hidden and “inner” one-to-one communication between bodies in the installation, so that one body’s breathing can directly affect another body’s skirt. While individual data is represented inside the skirt, collective group-breath is made visible on the exterior layers of fabric on the skirts by using a specialized LED arrays that “light up” in a continuous cycle according to collective breath rhythm. Breath bands wrapped around the chest measure the ebb and flow of the breath cycle. Communication protocol was ported to Nokia Smart Phones.

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