Common Rest

Common Rest is a multimedia collaborative work consisting of a 10-inch vinyl album with an accompanying book of poems by Holly Pester.

The project is the creative output of work developed by Pester during her residency with Hubbub – an international team of scientists, historians, artists and broadcasters based at the Wellcome Collection – materialising Pester’s interest in speech rhythms and patterns which are responsive to work and rest.

The album comprises 7 tracks, each a collaboration between Pester and another artist, in which ideas associated with lullabies form the basis for an improvisation. Each track has its own unique aesthetic, exploring different female responses to ideas of work and play, care and collaboration, motherhood and sexuality, curses and spells.

Created through a series of 3-hour recording sessions in which each track was devised from scratch, the sound pieces and songs collected on the album explore the complex sounds and dynamics of the lullaby, variously manifested as whispered chants, fast-paced dialogues, layered, contrapuntal vocal lines, spoken and sung, jazz riffs and ASMR soundscapes, and playful, childlike songs.

Featuring Emma Bennett, Vahni Capildeo, Jenny Moore, Nat Raha, Vera Rodriguez, Verity Spott and Claire Tolan.

Cover artwork by Mariana Simnett.
Designed by Thom Swann for A New Archive.