Breathing Patterns, 2026 by Anna Novakov

Breathing Patterns, 2026 scented hand needlework

Anna Novakov

Breathing Patterns, 2026

Scented Hand needlework

8 x 10 x 2 in

Breathing Patterns is a series of hand-embroidered wall works and accompanying scent compositions that explore geometry as a living, embodied system. Created through slow, repetitive hand needlework, the embroidered forms draw on geometric patterning as a language of structure, care, and endurance. Each stitch accumulates time, marking the quiet labor of the hand while transforming rigid systems into intimate, tactile surfaces.
The geometric patterns suggest order and repetition, yet they are never mechanical. Slight irregularities—inevitable in handwork—introduce breath, vulnerability, and presence. These deviations become central to the work, emphasizing the body behind the pattern and the feminist lineage of needlework as both domestic labor and creative resistance.
Scent functions as an invisible counterpart to the stitch. Developed in dialogue with the embroidered forms, the fragrances move through space as thread moves through cloth—activating memory, emotion, and physical awareness. Rather than illustrating the visual works, scent extends them, allowing the patterns to be felt as atmosphere and duration.
Together, embroidery and fragrance invite a slower mode of attention. Breathing Patterns proposes making and sensing as acts of care, where repetition becomes meditative and geometry becomes intimate—measured not only by the eye, but by the body in time and breath.