In Microrest, Kelton engages with the changing dynamics of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)—a platform that has evolved from a general-purpose crowdsourcing tool to one that is central to AI development. The artist interferes with MTurk’s operations by ‘donating’ moments of rest to its workers and inviting viewers to participate in this act. This gesture challenges the frameworks that shape AI-driven systems of relentless productivity, which rely on human labour to refine and expand their capabilities. Through a custom-engineered system, viewers’ donations temporarily pause the workflow of MTurk workers, offering rare moments of respite that are occasionally visible in the artwork interface.

Here, viewers—faced with the same obscurity that defines the platforms they encounter daily, where the workers remain unseen—are given the option to step out of their usual role as passive users to become active participants in a collective act. This shared action overturns priorities, placing human value at the center instead of efficiency.

To donate rest to the workers, visit micro.rest/donate

Web interface | 2025