The Hububb Hub at Wellcome Collection. (360G-Wellcome-103817_Z_14_Z)

The urge to be busy defines modern life. Rest can seem hard to find, whether in relation to an exhausted body, a racing mind or a hectic city. Should we slow down, or should we embrace intense activity? What effects do each of these states have on the health of our bodies and minds? Such questions frequently find their way into media reports and everyday conversations, but there has never been any sustained interdisciplinary attempt to answer them. In The Hubbub Hub, international experts investigating hubbub and rest at different scales will, for the first time, be gathered in a shared space – to breathe new life into the questions we ask about rest and busyness. Our ambitious project will be nourished by the unique resources available in Wellcome Collection and the noisy city beyond, and from the start the public and Wellcome Trust staff will be at its heart. The Hub is the uniquely versatile space we need to perform rigorous, creative research and to stage our scientific and artistic experiments, data-gathering and public events. While neuroscientists study the ‘resting’ brain, artists will explore the borders between signal, sound and noise, psychologists will track the activity of our bodies, and social scientists will map the city’s noise and silences. Our multidisciplinary team will transcend boundaries of scientific and artistic practice, leaving a rich legacy for academic and creative inquiry, clinical practice and public policy, and for the Hub’s future as a crucible for world-leading interdisciplinary research.