Static Apnea | A Performative Installation, 2020
The American Vicarious at The Invisible Dog Arts Centre, Brooklyn

Creator and Director: Chris McElroen

Installation Scenography : Troy Hourie

Performer and co-creator: Andrea Goldman

Performer and co-creator: Julia Watt

Developed during the peak of the first wave of the Corona-virus, McElroen and Hourie re-conceive their previous art installation "Static Apnea" originally produced in New Zealand. Spectators made appointments to participate the one on one experience that explores immersion into personal boundaries.

The discipline of holding one’s breath underwater, motionless–static apnea. In 2020, breath has been taken away. By a virus. By a knee. By the uncertainty. The struggle to restore it has rendered us motionless, collectively holding our breath. Do you know how long you can hold your breath? Would it be long enough to save yourself? Would it be long enough to save someone you love? 

One audience member, surrounded by a tunnel of blue light, descends towards a single performer behind a wall of glass. In a 9 minute and 2 second performance–the female record for static apnea–this performative installation explores how far one might be willing to go to save a life.