The value of noise
Oct 06, 2022, 11:13 AM
"I originally used a recording of a climate protest in Exeter, United Kingdom, which inspired me due to the power of it - the sheer power held in a crowd of people shouting the same chant for the same goal. Health and wellbeing are not just in the places we expect; the health of cities can come from a sense of community, from the sense of fighting for the same result, from the ability to have a voice and to speak up against injustice - some cities do not have this privilege. The ability to protest against climate change issues and their contributors helps to enact real change and contribute to healthy cities across the globe as a result - what does ‘health’ mean for a city specifically in this space of community? I wanted to highlight how the actual sounds of a collective of people have come to enact change, and I aimed to diminish the negative reputation that protesting often receives in mainstream media, when its disruption provides so many positives.
"I approached the topics of well-being and sustainability in cities by enhancing the natural sounds of various different types of protesting against climate change issues - violent, peaceful, chanting, speaking up, using our voices. This formed the base theme for the piece - collective noise, protest, and the value they hold in facilitating change. Building upon this theme, the piece moves through exaggerated versions of each type of protest, travelling through imagined representations of real places where protests gather, using different recordings of protest chants and actions from various different cities across the world. Each method highlights this widespread need for community and coming together to facilitate change across the globe. No matter the difference in language or topic, the action is the same. A vital act that allows each city's inhabitants to speak up against the injustices they face."
Exeter climate protest reimagined by Ella Kay.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, 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 was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"I approached the topics of well-being and sustainability in cities by enhancing the natural sounds of various different types of protesting against climate change issues - violent, peaceful, chanting, speaking up, using our voices. This formed the base theme for the piece - collective noise, protest, and the value they hold in facilitating change. Building upon this theme, the piece moves through exaggerated versions of each type of protest, travelling through imagined representations of real places where protests gather, using different recordings of protest chants and actions from various different cities across the world. Each method highlights this widespread need for community and coming together to facilitate change across the globe. No matter the difference in language or topic, the action is the same. A vital act that allows each city's inhabitants to speak up against the injustices they face."
Exeter climate protest reimagined by Ella Kay.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, 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 was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/