Open call: help us reimagine the life of a river through sound 🏞️

Flow is our latest project for artists, working with the Universities of Padova and Würzburg

Hi everyone

I’m excited to present our latest call for artists today - Flow is a new creative exploration, telling the story of a river through the power of sound.

The project is a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the University of Padova and the University of Würzburg.

Past, present, and future flow together as artists transform field recordings, research and satellite images into a recomposed interpretation of the life of a river. The river’s story, reimagined in sound.

There are just 25 spaces for artists on the project, and applications are open to all, until 30 November:

The project will launch at the EGU General Assembly in Vienna in May 2026, and here on Cities and Memory.

How the project works

The river Lech will be divided into 25 sections, with data for each section provided to one artist each to create a brand new composition based on their own responses, memories and feelings inspired by the river.

There are 25 corresponding spaces for artists on the project, who will be able to work closely with the university researchers throughout the process. The final artist selections will be made by the project team, not by Cities and Memory. If you’d like to take part, just fill in this short form.

Flow combines science, sound, and imagery to bring to life the story of the river Lech, which flows through Austria and Germany, as an example representing all rivers, all over the world.

Researchers at the University of Padua and the University of Würzburg have collected satellite images, research, photography and field recordings from the entire length of the river, and are asking sound artists and musicians to reimagine the life of the river through sound.

The Lech is divided into individual segments, each based on uniform characteristics of the river and represented by a time-lapse created from satellite images, along with a field recording captured on that stretch of water.

Musicians are invited to interpret this material and compose original pieces based on their own reflections on both the data provided, but also on their own relationship with rivers, nature and the environment that surrounds us.

The call is open until 30 November, with the selected artists contacted on 9 December. The composition deadline will be 15 March 2026 - find out more about the project and apply to be a part of it here.

More from us: Autumn Project, merch, WhatsApp group

🍁 The annual Autumn Project is still open to all, and there’s one month left to take part by remixing and reimagining the sounds of the world. There are still 180 recordings to choose from, including a selection of brand new sounds submitted over the last four weeks.

Create a composition from the bustling sounds of city life, the tranquil hum of nature, the clank and clatter of work and industry, the buzz of entertainment, nightlife and markets or the vibrancy of cultural practices or sports from around the globe. Find out more and get involved over here. The deadline for submitting compositions this year is 12 December.

👕 We now have Cities and Memory T-shirts, mugs and bags as merchandise for the first time. We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure that what we’ve come up with is good quality and sustainable - all of the T-shirts are certified organic cotton at 155g/m2, and made in a renewable energy powered factory audited for a wide range of social and sustainability criteria. T-shirts, mugs and tote bags are all available now - check them out here!

📲 A reminder that we have a lively, friendly and global WhatsApp community of fellow artists and recordists – it’s open to everyone to join and connect with like-minded sound folks. All you have to do is click here.

That’s all for now - thanks for listening, thanks for supporting, and thanks for taking part in the project!

Stuart.