Hosted by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute and the Bristol
Doctoral College as part of the Futures: European Researcher’s Night, ‘A Matter
of Life and Breath’ will be a stimulating online discussion on the act of
breathing. The event will be chaired by Professor Havi Carel.
Is breathing at the centre of what it means to be alive? Is
it fundamental to being human or being conscious? If robots could ‘breathe’,
would that make them human? Can the way that we breathe improve our mental
health and even our ability to fight disease? In this panel event, our
postgraduate researchers will reflect on their work and what it can tell us
about the human act of breathing.
The simple act of breathing allows us to thrive as humans
and social beings. It helps us communicate with each other and express
ourselves – to speak, laugh and sing. How we breathe can reflect our state of
mind as well as our physical wellbeing. Breathing itself can signify
transformational change – whether we ‘hold our breath’ following shocking news
or ‘breathe in’ before undertaking a significant act.
The event promises to breathe fresh air into your
perspective on this fundamental human act – from the lived experience of
breathlessness to the latest research on artificial intelligence; from what
feminist comics can tell us about the gendered experience of breath to the
potential power of meditation and breathing practices to assist with physical
and mental recovery from illnesses such cancer.
