In her recent sight and context specific project Rest in Public (RIP) New York based artist gwen charles wears a vintage nightgown and holds a pillow, resting with her eyes closed in public locations in various cities, on the search for a safe place to sleep, considering the security and rights around resting in communal space. As she rests in public, usually on her own, she records video, creating a log of rest for each site. These videos of rest interventions can offer discussion prompts about where we can rest, when and why we do and who has the permission to rest and grieve in public, adding layers of inquiries about each city and location.

After recording in several locations in the United States, this is her first performance of this intervention overseas. For this Berlin-specific version of the work, she explores the search for comfort and safety in a foreign city as she rests in historic and treasured spaces around the municipality including the public parks, in the canal, at the Berlin wall and on the local streets. This image was recorded while resting on the street with 10 European sham pillows on Glogauer Straße in front of the historic building, home to GlogauAIR gGmbH.