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Elisa Giardina Papa's 'Labor of Sleep' Explores Sleep Optimization Apps

digital · 2026-05-04

Elisa Giardina Papa's video series 'Labor of Sleep' critiques the proliferation of sleep-tracking apps that promise to optimize rest for productivity. The work is part of the Whitney Museum's 'Sunrise Sunset' commissioning cycle, which makes videos available only at dawn and dusk. Papa argues that digital tools both cause and remedy the always-on lifestyle, turning sleep into a frontier for data extraction.

Key facts

  • Elisa Giardina Papa created 'Labor of Sleep', a series of short videos.
  • The work is part of the Whitney Museum's 'Sunrise Sunset' commissioning program.
  • Videos are viewable only at dawn and dusk on the Whitney Museum website.
  • The series critiques sleep optimization apps that track user habits.
  • Papa suggests sleep is the last frontier for data collection on behavior.
  • Digital tools are presented as both cause and remedy for the always-on lifestyle.
  • The article was published on Artribune Magazine #42.
  • Matteo Cremonesi wrote the article.

Entities

Artists

  • Elisa Giardina Papa
  • Matteo Cremonesi

Institutions

  • Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Artribune
  • Accademia di Brera

Locations

  • New York
  • United States
  • Brescia
  • Italy

Sources