Join the Well-Being Cities project

Our latest global sound project is here, and it’s a unique opportunity to have your sonic compositions featured at the global C40 World Mayors Summit in Buenos Aires.

Well-Being Cities is a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis.

The project asks artists to reimagine soundscapes representing well-being in cities – whether environmental, social, climate-related or cultural – with sound works being presented at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Buenos Aires in October.

What is the project?

Well-Being Cities asks artists to reimagine one of a curated selection of urban field recordings to develop a new musical/sonic composition reflecting on the following questions:

– What does a city that prioritises health and well-being sound like?
– How can we use sound to reflect on what an equitable, healthy and climate-safe approach to wellbeing looks like for cities?
– What would a truly green, resilient and equitable city sound like?

How will the sounds be used?

Well-Being Cities is a huge opportunity for artists to be heard by a global audience through the C40 channels, and by an influential audience of world leaders at the Summit itself.

Compositions will be showcased at the C40 World Mayors Summit, which brings together the mayors of global and regional cities, alongside business leaders, philanthropists, campaigners, youth leaders, scientists and residents, to share bold ideas, showcase innovative solutions and stand together to create a sustainable, prosperous and equitable future.

Compositions by successful applicants will be featured at the summit in person and online, on the C40 and Cities and Memory websites and social media.

Individual compositions will be featured, as well as a central edited composition of highlights from the project, and a bespoke sound installation on site in Buenos Aires consisting of the field recordings and reimagined sounds in dialogue with one another.

The compositions will also form part of the C40’s wider United In Action campaign.

How to take part in the project

The call for artists is open to everyone, and applications will be open until 24 July. You can apply to be part of the project by filling in this short form.

You’ll need to send us some basic information and some examples of previous sound work.

There will be a maximum of 30 places available on the project – we will be aiming for a spread of artists from all backgrounds to make this a truly global collaboration.

Successful applicants will then be contacted during the week of 1 August to select a field recording from our curated bank of specially-selected city soundscapes.

They will then create a composition reimagining that field recording in the context of the questions and concepts outlined above.

Artists will have until 5 September to submit their composition, with the C40 Summit taking place during October.