About Rest:

 

On July 23, 2020, a team of international researchers in seismology released a paper detailing their finding that Coronavirus shutdowns had led to “the longest and most coherent global seismic noise reduction in recorded history” (New York Times).  Seemingly overnight, humanity had stopped moving and the resulting silence was measurable on a global scale. Inspired by this reporting as well as by writings from R. Murray Shafer, Daniel Levitin, Oliver Sacks and others, sound designer Frederick Kennedy created sonnified renderings of publicly accessible seismological data from the United States Geological Survey and IRIS (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology) and blended these with binaural field recordings, captures from daily quarantine life in 2020–21, original music, found sound, and voiceover recordings (performed by Hugh Farrel, remotely recorded in Dublin, Ireland) to create a personalized sonic experience. From the surface of the planet to the depths of its core, and from the very human to the global, what did the earth sound like during this pandemic? Did it change—and did it change us? Rest is an audio meditation, with sections of accompanying video and still imagery inspired by this shared moment, exploring the meaning of silence and space in our daily lives.

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REST was made possible with support from The New York Community Trust, The Howard Gilman Foundation, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, The National Endowment for The Arts, The New York State Council on the Arts, and from individual donations.