Out of Breath

A performance piece by Libby Edwards in collaboration with model and creative Ava Kalitowski.

Over the past three years, Libby and Ava have built a collaborative practice rooted in experimentation and trust. With Out of Breath, they set out to move beyond the confines of the “pretty picture,” creating work that foregrounds process, endurance, and intention.

Informed by visual research, the piece centers on Ava physically inflating nearly fifty balloons over the course of the shoot. The repetitive act becomes both method and metaphor—exploring tension, exertion, and the limits of the body. Breath is made visible, and time becomes embedded within each frame.

Out of Breath is not just an image, but a record of effort, where performance and photography meet.