On March 8th, I interviewed Yilin, a medical student visiting Edinburgh, as part of our project exploring the visualization of breathing through interactive art. Her responses provided valuable insights into how breathing is perceived and experienced. Here’s a summary of the key points from our conversation:

Key Insights

1. Awareness of Breathing:
   Yilin mentioned that her awareness of breathing increased after the pandemic, especially as a medical student focused on lung health.

2. Noticing Breathing:
   She notices her breathing most during moments of anxiety or tension, when her breath becomes faster.

3. Emotional and Physical Differences:

   Steady breathing makes her feel calm, while rapid breathing increases anxiety.
   Deep breathing slows her heartbeat, while shallow breathing makes it faster.

4. Visualizing Breathing:
   Yilin imagines her breathing as similar to a cardiogram—sometimes stable, sometimes fluctuating.

5. Colors and Relaxation:
   She finds natural colors like sky blue and grass green relaxing, while black and white evoke tension, symbolizing death.

6. Sound and Breathing:
   Yilin feels that nature sounds (e.g., birds, leaves) help stabilize her breathing and make her feel calm. She compared her breath to the sound of wind through leaves.

Key Takeaways for Our Project

• Visuals: Incorporate cardiogram-like patterns to represent breathing, with smooth transitions for calm states and fluctuations for tension.

• Colors: Use natural, calming colors like blue and green to evoke relaxation.

• Sound: Integrate nature-inspired sounds to enhance the immersive experience.

Interview with the audience / dmsp-process25 by is licensed under a