A Space for Rest is an immersive, multi-sensory installation offering a moment of calm, restoration and sensory connection within the energy of the Midsummer Festival.
Plants foraged and grown in the communities of Milton Keynes provide scent, movement and texture, as well as a colour palette of the city as the year grows to its lightest point.
A subtle, continuous soundscape accompanies the installation, accessible through discrete speakers. Composed using breath, voice and environmental recordings, the sound work supports nervous system regulation and deep listening, offering a restorative counterpoint to the activity of the wider festival.
Created by Lesley Asare and Katie Fields, commissioned by Midsummer Festival 2026 and Milton Keynes Council. Images by Katie Fields.
Katie Fields 