Take a Breath With New Art Installation at 300 Ashland in Fort Greene

A new outdoor art installation in Fort Greene provides space for residents to take a moment and catch their breath.

Breathing Pavilion, an installation by Brooklyn-based artist Ekene Ijeoma, is set up as a circular space surrounded by columns that light up at different intervals, mimicking the speed of breathing techniques intended to create calm.

The installation is set up outside 300 Ashland, at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street. It is organized by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership in association with the Van Alen Institute.

In a statement, Ijeoma described the inspiration behind the project. “Between the ongoing struggles in the racial and political movements in the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be difficult to find the time and space to breathe deeply and rest well,” he wrote. “I held my breath for most of last year, waiting to exhale into a new administration and new vaccines. It will still take some time before we see large-scale change. Until then, in these next few weeks, this pavilion is here to invite the public to breathe into the change within each of us, in sync with one another.”

Additionally, a series of musical performances have been scheduled, which will occur inside the circle as part of the installation, including the trombonist Kalia Vandever and saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin.

The project ends on May 11. For more information, as well as the full schedule of music performances, click here.

[Photos by Craig Hubert]

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