Breathing break is a critical reflection on western work and break culture. By using a ceramic object as a medium, this project explores how break culture in fast-paced work environments, such as gastronomy, is shaped by broader social and economic structures, and how design can be used to question and challenge these conditions.

This project is grounded in several years of work experience that I gathered in the gastronomy sector, beginning at the age of sixteen. Within this environment, I observed and experienced how smoking functions as a socially accepted means of taking breaks. Experiencing these dynamics both personally and from the perspective of an observer led to critical questions: Why are breaks only accepted when they are justified through specific activities such as smoking? Why are moments of rest often associated with laziness or inefficiency?

Rather than offering a direct solution, the object is positioned within the field of critical design, where speculation and provocation are used to question established attitudes toward productivity and rest. By exploring alternative ways of structuring and legitimizing moments of pause, the project aims to contribute to discussions around healthier work culture and how it could differ from today to eventually direct individual and collective well-being in a more sustainable direction.