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The Shape of Breath is a short film that was first exhibited at the annual YAH Festival in Nottingham (October 2004) and subsequently screened at The Photographers' Gallery in London (May 2005). In Nottingham, the film was installed at the fourteenth century church of St Mary The Virgin, which is located in the ancient Lace Market of the city. This project engages with the specificity of the site and attempts to see beyond religious orthodoxy and fanaticism. It is inspired by platonic philosophy and the symbolic significance of breath in many ancient mythologies. It proposes to view breath not as a mystical symbol but as a material. Thus, during the film, the viewer's attention progressively shifts from the projected face to the luminous and abstract formations of condensation behind which it disappears. The film explores the morphing geometry and materiality of breath, and generates questions in relation to the poetics of being.
Read review below.
Review
Thoughtfully placed through an archway in a small enclosed part of the church is the view of Mikhail Karikis's piece The Shape Of Breath. A cloud of condensation builds up and seeps across the screen like a stain. A face appears and then reappears as the work loops over as the viewer is left to contemplate what is happening. The images change slowly and subtly as the act of watching the work feels like an act of contemplation in keeping within its environment. Delicate patterns emerge from the steamed glass almost like watching the cloud form and shift in a blustery wind. Again in keeping with the space, the work demonstrates the thin or non-existent veil between aesthetics and meaning within this place originally designed for worship and wonder.
yah.org.uk, by Matt Davenport & Camilla Zajac, October 2004
