Breathing towards Aeromobility: Aspiration, Flying and Elsewhere(s)

Abstract

In this essay, I aim to trace connections between aspiration and mobility to argue how aspirations are mobilised through their connection to elsewhere(s). Taking root from Latin ad spirare (to breathe towards), aspirations not only call for an inward drawing of breath, but also a pause before the inevitable expiration. This paper considers both the metaphor and physical act of breathing in the context of mobilities of flight, amongst others. I invoke the metaphor through ethnographic vignettes of both flying and terrestrial mobilities in African and North American contexts, drawing a parallel between the breath which sustains us and the aspirations that drive us, providing a generative lesson for our affective futures. Through these vignettes, I argue that mobilities driven by the presence of elsewhere(s) are key to understanding how aspiration is mobilised.