Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is come together and rest. Take a moment to process. Sit together. Stare into the abyss. And from there, we begin to explore, confront, and influence again.

Fault Lines invited participants to gather around a simulated sinkhole on boulder seating, creating collaborative soundscapes through natural movement and interaction. This installation transformed rupture and fragmentation into a space for community connection and creative unity.

We are all living on unstable ground together, literally and metaphorically. The pale blue dot has cracks, our city has cracks, but instead of falling through them we can gather around them and make something beautiful.

Faux boulders “ejected” from earth surround a pulsating central sinkhole. Visitors rest and gather while effortlessly creating site-specific soundscapes steeped in St. Louis jazz and timed to nearby train rhythms. Hidden and visible controls respond to movement, fostering musical collaboration that evolves as people naturally interact with the space.

The installation creates a space to confront rupture and fragmentation—both in the earth and in ourselves. Radiating crack lines extend outward from the central void, creating pathways that suggest how breaks and fissures can become sites of connection rather than division. Sometimes we must stare directly into what unsettles us to find our way forward.

Located at the 2025 Artica site, festival goers rested during the day not only engaging with this installation, but also when watching nearby performances. The piece could be quieted or silenced as needed to allow focus to migrate to other artists. During the burn, people gathered to sit and stand on the boulders, watching the effigy from seats surrounded by a glowing echo of the main event.