alexandra carr mrss

Only Breath

Only Breath was made in collaboration with Colin Rennie of Torus Torus Studios, commissioned by The Science Museum, London as the centrepiece of the Energy Revolution: Adani Green Energy Gallery. The gallery examines the rapid energy transition and decarbonisation needed globally to limit climate change. The gallery encourages visitors to reflect on past energy transitions and the pioneers who dreamed what might be possible, while imagining the energy use that will shape our low carbon future.

Only Breath is a kinetic sculpture that formally references renewable energy technology and highlights the natural processes and phenomena that such technologies harness.

At the core of Only Breath lies a fusion of art and science, incorporating principles of biomimicry and renewable energy technology. The sculpture's tessellating structure, derived from the voronoi algorithm and phyllotaxis spiral, mirrors the efficiency of organic forms, highlighting the importance of nature-inspired sustainable energy production. Comprising of 23 moving stainless steel frames containing 92 windblown native timber panels, including timber from trees felled by storm Arwen, the sculpture moves slowly and gracefully, initiating from an almost imperceptible start, gradually speeding up, then slowing again to an almost imperceptible stop.

The underside of the panels features subtle two-way mirrors reclaimed from a previous project, forming a concave lens reminiscent of solar arrays, reflecting and focusing on the viewer, inviting introspection amidst the gallery's dynamic atmosphere. The sculpture's cyclical movement, akin to natural phenomena such as circadian rhythms and the nyctinasty of blooming flowers, encourages contemplation on our interconnectedness with the environment.

From its symbolic spiral motif to its innovative use of two-way mirrors, recycled, recyclable, and reclaimed materials, sourced locally to minimise environmental impact, the sculpture embodies the principles of holistic thinking advocated for in the Energy Revolution Gallery.

Standing as a call to action for global environmental stewardship, Only Breath reminds visitors of the delicate balance we must maintain in our pursuit of a greener, more sustainable future.

Our opportunity for de-carbonising energy systems is short but with imagination we can move toward a responsible energy future.

Only Breath draws inspiration from the Rumi poem of the same name.

Only Breath

Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu
Buddhist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion

or cultural system. I am not from the East
or the West, not out of the ocean or up

from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not
composed of elements at all. I do not exist,

am not an entity in this world or in the next,
did not descend from Adam and Eve or any

origin story. My place is placeless, a trace
of the traceless. Neither body or soul.

I belong to the beloved, have seen the two
worlds as one and that one call to and know,

first, last, outer, inner, only that
breath breathing human being.