Breathe

Breathe is part of a series of works composed using recordings made at the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research. The experiment addresses the key challenge of the impact of climate and environmental damage on woodlands through the simulation of the atmosphere we’re predicted to have in 2050.Breathe explores the man-made and industrial elements of the forest: pipes wield their way around the experiment transporting CO2 and generators are housed across the facility to power the experiment. The soundscape is the antithesis of a typical forest.In contrast, the piece also uses recordings of the internal activity of trees, from sap moving through the tree to the habitats that they provide for insects and wildlife. The piece comments on feelings of eco-anxiety and eco-guilt that many people have found themselves carrying as the climate emergency escalates