Circular Breathing , by Scott Snibbe, is a personal breath recorder.

You breath and blow into the mouthpiece to record a breath pattern which can then be played back indefinitely, looping from start to finish. The breath gives the fan a lifelike quality, and challenges our view that breath equals life. (video)

Circular Breathing is part of a series of works that explore the breath through electromechanical processes. How is the disembodied representation of breath still human? What are the implications of imposing our bodies on technology rather than the inverted relationship we often experience? etc.

Dutch group Staalplaat Soundsystem’s are other artists using fans and other home appliance. So far, they’ve performed music composition for refrigerators, floor polishers, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, etc.

Last year, the group organized Avantilator where 100 modified fans were playing the music along with the DJ.

Previous post on Staalplaat.

See also Twilight in Networked_performance.