The Heart of Life is in Breathing

Why:

For my body double project I want to examine the lungs. My lungs are important to me for many obvious and not so apparent reasons. First of all it allows us to breathe, inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide, and survive. Second, as a child my asthma was pretty severe and hindered me in participating in many extracurricular activities. Though I was able to overcome most of its drawbacks and participate it always lingered in the back of a my mind as a potential killer. My strength depended on my lungs and has always been my main focus as an athlete in any sport I competed in. Third, I have voluntarily chosen not to smoke anything that can further damage or restrict my lungs. My parents smoke and being around that and asthma running in the family does not make the situation any easier. I plan on creating an installation which is interactive as well as a learning tool. I want to illustrate good lungs versus corrupt ones.

How:

In order to do this I was thinking of using plastic bags or balloons and shaping them as lungs. Coating them to look like lungs would be a plus. I might create the chest cavity as well. I would connect the "lungs" to a tube which a viewer could breathe into and the lungs would mimic the users lungs in breathing. I was considering to create two sets of lungs one which was healthy and one which was damaged illustrating the difficulty of breathing between each. The reproduction would be imitated in the action and the objects themselves. It would be cool if one could wear it as well like an chest plate showing the insides of ones workings.

What:

not final but a general idea: (suggestions?)

plastic bags/ balloons

tubes/ piping

a box

frame

paint

straps

…….

Where:

I would get the materials from findings in my house, Michaels, or Home Depot. Michaels would be for general art supplies, Home Depot I have have used for plastic tubes and pipes, home is hopefully for general supplies to save money.

When:

I hope to complete gathering materials and figure out a working design by Wednesday. I will make my blue prints tonight Sunday April 18 and have the whole project done by the deadline which is when our Art Stu 9B gallery opens!

Who:

I will being working on this project by myself with some suggestions and comments by my fellow classmates. If it becomes a chest example I will perform it myself.

Any ideas? Suggestions? Comments? Please anything would help.

Matthew Arambulo