From Breath
From Breath was presented at UNSW Galleries for The Sky Swallowed a Stone. The exhibition featured the AGNSW iteration, the 2024 studio iteration and its sound recording, alongside other new and selected works by Fielden.
Photos by Jacqui Manning.
From Breath traces the ephemeral forces of breath, movement and time. The work unfolds as I play a giant silver flute while drawing it across a black canvas on the floor. The flute has only a single embouchure hole and no mechanisms, so sound and intonation are produced through breath alone. As I exhale and drags the flute, a silver trace is left on the canvas. Each mark records the duration and intensity of a breath, as well as the weight and movement of the body. The flute is slowly worn away, its tip subtly rounded and softened as the work progresses. What remains are three interwoven records: a large-scale silverpoint drawing, a sound recording, and the flute.