Inhale/Exhale: exhale film

exhale is an experimental film by Michèle Saint-Michel and part of a broader, multi-screen series. The films are designed to be played simultaneously. The inhale/exhale film series takes cues from film diarist Anne Charlotte Robertson and the self-portraits of artist Eleanor Antin. The artist exists here on film, breathing in time to arguably the most beautiful pattern found in nature, the Fibonacci sequence.

Breathing is autonomous. Yet, we can override the default system. Diaphragmatic breathing can even calm our nervous system and quell anxiety. Breathing to a descending Fibonacci ratio however, will—no matter how beautiful the pattern is—cause a fit of hyperventilation as viewers will witness.

  • Michèle Saint-Michel
    Director
    PTSD Suite, Lost Sock Collection, School of Life, Don't Tell Me I'm Beautiful
  • Dr. Sophie Stone
    Film Composer
    Outside Space, Postcard-Sized Pieces
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Experimental, Installation, Multi-Screen
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 35 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 29, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    50 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Great Wave Festival
    Berlin
    Germany
    October 17, 2020
    World Premiere
Director Biography - Michèle Saint-Michel

Michèle Saint-Michel is an artist, experimental filmmaker, and author. Designed to promote healing, her works encourage healthy coping and recovery from difficult experiences. Saint-Michel’s work is deeply rooted in experiential time and cultural constructions of the feminine.

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Director Statement

"The struggle of all artists, but the womxn artist in particular, to show up and allow ourselves to be seen authentically in artistic terms, in nurturing roles, as sexual beings, as multi-dimensional stardust wrapped in flesh and bone—it’s all a lot to be going on with. I hope some of that nuanced multidimensionality comes through in this work."