For the opening of V&A East Museum, NYX was commissioned to conceive and deliver First Breath, a live, site-specific vocal work responding to the Why We Make galleries.

Developed and directed by NYX (Sian O’Gorman, Philippa Neels and Imogen Knight), the piece unfolds through a series of acoustic interventions across the building, moving between solo voices, small ensembles and roaming performers. Through this structure, NYX established a spatial and sonic language that activates the museum as a collective, resonant environment.

Rooted in NYX’s embodied vocal practice, First Breath explores the voice as a primary technology for connection, expression and organisation. Performances were extended through a programme of participatory workshops and a large-scale Drone Circle, expanding the work into a shared act of listening and sounding.