I INHALE YOU EXHALE (SCORE FOR BREATHING WITH ANOTHER)

Kaj Schlicht and Jamie Denburg Habie 

7 minutes, 2 seconds

I Inhale You Exhale (Score for Breathing With Another) is a collaborative sound work by Kaj Schlicht and Jamie Denburg Habie that invites two or more people to synchronize their heartbeats through shared breathing. The piece guides participants to breathe in for five seconds and out for five, following a breathwork pattern known as “coherence breathing.” This practice activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting a state of calm and receptivity. 

As participants breathe together, their heart rates may lower in unison, inviting an exploration of the boundaries of self through attunement to the body of another. The sound work alternates between spoken breathing cues, recordings of inhales and exhales, and ambient soundscapes, subtly playing with language and meaning: by repeatedly hearing the phrase “I inhale, you exhale” while breathing in unison, the distinction between “I” and “you” begins to blur.