With the relentless expansion of twenty-first century capitalism comes the increasing monetisation of time.
Global markets, 24/7 communication technologies and unceasing cycles of production and consumption all conspire to create an existence from which rest is a “radical interruption” (Crary 2013).
To acknowledge that we, as humans, have limits, challenges the values of productivity, efficiency and alertness on which such an economy is built. However, rest is indispensible to both our physical and mental wellbeing. Periods in which work is ceased provide spaces for life to exist outside the parameters of
productivity. Rather than an optional leftover activity, rest constitutes a crucial opportunity to recharge our energy, reflect on our thoughts, restore our focus, remove what is unwanted and recover our equilibrium.
Using a series of digital interactions, re- visualises five physiological and psychological processes hypothesised to occur during periods of rest, ranging from short moments of idleness to extended vacations.
In doing so, the project aims to encourage a collective
re-thinking and re-evaluation of the place of rest in our lives, presenting it as a vital ingredient of a mutually-sustaining balance between action and repose, movement and idleness, exhaustion and regeneration.