INFO
"8:46" (best experienced in full screen)
Visual and auditory medicine for times of grief. A visual prayer.
(Breathe with me while watching)
9:32 single channel video
Voiceover written & spoken by Phylicia Ghee
Description:
“8:46” is a visual prayer, named after the approximate duration that an officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck, ultimately leading to his death. The piece features overlapping moving images, with a central focus on my own breath. Interwoven throughout are moments from my life—some from the pandemic, others from years prior—creating a montage of inherited and learned practices for restorative healing. These images symbolize seeds of longevity, protection, catharsis, and the preservation of self, family, community, and culture.
In essence, this is 8 minutes and 46 seconds of reverence—visual and auditory medicine for times of grief, as grief is often stored in the lungs.
My hope is that by breathing for this duration, the viewer will be encouraged to breathe as well, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and shifting the body from a state of stress to one of calm. This process is cleansing, clearing, and oxygenating the cells, creating a positive ripple effect on the heart, brain, digestive system, and immune system.