Credits: Yara Oliveira ❤️, Luckmore Maradza, Anesu Magaya, Osman Austin

Sound & Concept by Nandele Maguni

Thin Line Between Life and Breath Breath is a fragile and constant rhythm—both intimate and universal. It exists between presence and absence, life and its inevitable decay. Thin Line Between Life and Breath is a sound installation that captures this ephemeral boundary through breath recordings, synthesized drones, and environmental sounds, all imprinted onto cassette tapes. By using analog tape, I embrace sound’s materiality—its imperfections, its degradation over time—mirroring the transient nature of breath itself. The installation functions like a musical ensemble, where three cassette recorders each play distinct sonic elements: breath, drones, and field recordings. The audience is invited to engage with the recorders, rewinding, flipping, and layering sounds to shape their own auditory experience. At its core, this work is an exploration of impermanence, presence, and the ways sound embodies memory. In a world where breath has become a symbol of survival and struggle, this installation invites reflection on the act of breathing—not just as a biological function, but as a shared, evolving sonic experience.

©️ Image by Jumpin' the Gun | Creative Studio (All images must be credited when shared online or by any publication).