For several years, I have been struggling with panic attacks and chronic hyperventilation as a result. Canaries used to serve as measuring instruments of air quality in coal mines. If the oxygen in the air dropped, the birds became restless. If the amount of carbon monoxide rose, they even died. In this picture, the canary symbolises my own struggle with the simple act of breathing.

Alix Jacops is a multidisciplinary photographer based in Antwerp, Belgium.

She is the co-founder of We are Wilson, a creative studio specialised in product photography and set design. She also works on documentary photo projects that explore the thin line between fiction and reality.

www.alixjacops.com @alixjacops

• Edition of 5

• Printed on Canon Photo Paper Pro Luster, with archival quality

• 21.0 x 29.7 cm with white border as seen in preview