Dandelion three times parallel
"I wanted to take the concept of migrating and explore it through the three languages I deal with on a daily basis, its meaning, the act and art / way of immigrating and how it opens you up and connects you with often parallel adversities, yet resisting every external impulse and becoming aware of the internal impulses. "How one seeks to unite with others for different reasons, as the social b...
8m Jul 15, 2024
8m
Conversations
"The field recording resonated with me as the theme is about families who have moved around the world and come together to meet and talk about food, farms and gardens. I was born in the US and grew up near Chicago where my father’s family settled from Germany in 1911. "I have cousins in Germany and I now live in Wales, with a Welsh husband. My older daughter, Ellen, was born in Scotland, but n...
7m Jul 15, 2024
7m
Altın bir kafes (A golden cage)
"When I was a kid, we used to visit an open-air animal market in Kadıköy, İstanbul. It was a part of our daily routine before taking a shared taxi back home. An opportunity to see different species of animals was an excitement for a little one. I am familiar with various birds from there. However, all were caged and imported from another part of our world to my hometown. "Maria Margaronis capt...
7m Jul 15, 2024
7m
Um Europa keine Mauern
Protest against racism and strict EU/Germany migration laws in Bremen, Germany. Protesters are chanting "Um Europa keine Mauern – Bleiberecht für alle und auf Dauer!" (No walls around Europe – Permanent right to stay for everyone!) Recorded by Pedro Oliveira. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration. For more information and to explo...
3m Jul 15, 2024
3m
Grandma meeting boyfriend
This recording is of my Grandma meeting my boyfriend. My Grandma is an ethnic German who was born in Russia in 1932 who speaks Mennonite Low German, Russian and German. She is a bit deaf so we have to repeat some things and say them louder. She resettled to Germany in 1991. My boyfriend is American and speaks English and broken German. He lives with me in Vienna, Austria. I was born in Siberia...
19m Jul 15, 2024
19m
A sea of fear and laughter
In the summer of 2016 I got to know an Afghan family who living in the Vial migrant camp in Chios. They had fled Afghanistan because of direct threats to the father's life from the Taliban, but conditions in the camp were so dire that they were thinking of going back. I took the parents and four young children down to the beach for a day; they had not seen the sea since crossing from Turkey a m...
2m Jul 15, 2024
2m
Caged birds singing
In the summer of 2016, the Greek island of Chios was home to hundreds of Syrians, Afghans, Palestinians and others, searching for safety in Europe. Many were camped in grim conditions in the town's medieval castle. Just round the corner from that camp was a shop selling caged songbirds--canaries, lovebirds, parakeets. I made this recording as refugee children and adults wandered by. The photo ...
1m Jul 15, 2024
1m
When the tents fly
In the early spring of 2016, when the Western Balkan migration route to Europe was closed, more than 14,000 people on the move from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere were living in a muddy, makeshift camp site at Eidomeni on the Greek-North Macedonian border hoping to make their way north. This is the voice of Mohammed, from Syria. Recorded by Maria Margaronis. Part of the Migration Soun...
1m Jul 15, 2024
1m
Mahsa's energy
"This blues song is dedicated to Mahsa Amini (1999-2022). Mahsa was a young Kurdish women who was visiting her brother in Iran, when she was severely beaten for not conforming to the strict Islamic dress code. She died several days later in a hospital in Tehran, Iran. "I took the protest chants (that occurred later in Paris) and divided them into two tracks. The first chant occurs at the begin...
5m Jul 15, 2024
5m
The (displaced) forest's spirit
"After spending a week listening to the Bosque seco - dry forest - in Piura in the north of Perú and learning so much more about it, I felt like that beautiful and resilient forest - that thrives in the harshest conditions and still finds a way to save water and energy to go through the driest weather - and people who are being forced in many ways to migrate from their lands because of colonisa...
11m Jul 15, 2024
11m
Femme-vie-liberté
On Sunday, October 2, 2022, thousands of individuals took to the streets of Paris in a massive display of solidarity, denouncing Iran's Islamic leadership and supporting the Iranian demonstrators and the Femme Vie Liberté uprising. The protest was prompted by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in custody allegedly for not wearing the mandatory Muslim veil according to authorities. ...
2m Jul 15, 2024
2m
Voices - a protest
Voices. On 19 December 2023 France approved a new immigration law. It is a law that makes it harder for families of immigrants to join them, limits the support for migrants from outside the EU, establishes staying illegally in the country as a crime, suppresses the automatic right to citizenship for those who are born in France from foreign parents and demands a fee from foreign students in the...
10m Jul 15, 2024
10m
Partie de pétanque
This is a recording of a part of a traditional south french metal ball game. On the background there are many typical cicada that immediately give an ambience. I am from the Netherlands and I moved to France years ago. But every time I moved, French people immediately hear I'm not from France. In the present recording from last year I remember very well how very local people, those who might b...
4m Jul 15, 2024
4m
Love thy neighbour
I live on a very ordinary suburban street - the sort of place you really wouldn't take any notice of as you drive past - with pebbledash houses, a storage centre and a supermarket at one end of the road, and a recreation ground at the other. On first look, it might seem rather sleepy - even a bit bland. But it is a place defined by migration. The people who live here come from an extraordinary...
8m Jul 15, 2024
8m
Ukrainian and English family having dinner
The recording is of a Ukrainian mother and her daughter having dinner with the daughter's English boyfriend. The mother is a Ukrainian refugee living in Oxford. Having dinner together each evening is important for us. In this recording, we are eating a Ukrainian borsch prepared by the mother. Recorded by Peter Walsh. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the so...
1m Jul 15, 2024
1m
Baby's heartbeat
“Bear with me” – says the midwife – “while I try to locate his heart”. “Isn’t this the sound of his heart?”, I ask. “No, this is your heart pulsing through the placenta”. My baby’s heart beats in a place that is far from where I call home, and its rhythm is interpreted in a language that is foreign to my ears. As I wait, my thoughts drift. Where will his heart find its belonging when it starts...
1m Jul 15, 2024
1m
Dinner snippet
I (Canadian) am having dinner with my partner (Spanish) and our friend (Turkish). This recording relates to the theme of migration in that we are all of different nationalities and countries of birth. We also discuss living elsewhere, learning new languages and naturalisation over the course of the meal. Generally a jovial, open atmosphere. Recorded by Denis Kierans. Part of the Migration Sou...
20m Jul 15, 2024
20m
Heartmoor
"Heartmoor is a word coined by John Koenig in his Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows that means the place to which the heart is anchored, whether that place exists now or ever existed. And that is what this piece is about: the longing we feel to belong somewhere. Whether we’ve had that place and lost it or have never found it, we still seek it. "Using melodies that travel through layers of sound wo...
3m Jul 15, 2024
3m
The gathering
"This field recording of several people of various nationalities, ages, and life experiences now living as neighbors, gathering in the host's home simply to enjoy one another's company was the inspiration for my composition. "I chose to use the recording as the ambient background theme from start to finish with little editing of the voices. I composed primarily on piano and synthesizer while l...
5m Jul 15, 2024
5m
щаслива п'ятниця
"I wanted to emphasise the confused nature of the communication that arose from the language barrier, so I fractured, treated and layered the recording to mirror the confusion. Once I was happy with the vocals, I added the lamenting string motifs." Dinner in Oxford reimagined by Michael Lilley. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration...
3m Jul 15, 2024
3m
A heart can break in many places
"I chose a heartbeat recording from Oxford; because my ancestry is Indian and the nature of this project, it got me thinking about the impacts of colonization and how that leads to both forced and unforced migration. Panjab was cut in two during partition and so much blood was spilled in this former kingdom of five rivers. "I was thinking about this history and the heartbreak that so many carr...
3m Jul 15, 2024
3m
Ephemerists
"I have moved countries twice, and ended in the UK. This it was what drew me to the recording I chose. I wondered what someone else might have chosen to record, and how it would compare to what I record. "When I listened to the conversation around the dinner table, I recognised it as a conversation in which I have been present many, many times, with people from several different countries arou...
5m Jul 15, 2024
5m
My journey, my Ardas
"The field recording (Ardas prayer) performed at the end of the Sikh worship, holds significant meaning for Sikhs worldwide. I have personally visited the Sikh temple in the UK where this field recording was made. "In my composition, I’ve integrated the Ardas as a core element whilst additionally sampling my elderly father’s recollections of his personal migration experience at either end of t...
5m Jul 15, 2024
5m
Underground with a Bangladeshi tailor
The sound of traditional garment manufacture and repair at Dressmode Tailoring, which is run by Bangladeshi Mohammed Shajahan, originally from Sylhet, Bangladesh. This shop has been operating for around 17 years, but Mohammed has been working on Bethnal Green Road since 1996. There are lots of alterations and repairs undertaken here, mainly for the local Asian community. Times have been tough ...
4m Jul 15, 2024
4m
Weaving chant, tracing home
"The history of the Tabernacle's transformation from a church into a multicultural hub has inspired my creation. In Taiwan, temples also hold significant importance as gathering places, serving as focal points for communal and spiritual activities. As a multicultural island country with a long historical tradition of immigration since the 17th century, Taiwan has witnessed waves of people arriv...
10m Jul 15, 2024
10m
The Tabernacle
The Tabernacle is a Grade II-listed building in Powis Square, Notting Hill, west London, England, built in 1887 as a church. It is no longer a place of worship, but continues to serve the secular needs of the local community. It's a key part of the multicultural hub of Notting Hill, with people from many different countries, backgrounds and cultures sharing the space. In this recording, a steel...
2m Jul 15, 2024
2m
Getting a haircut in Peckham
The sound of a traditional west African barber’s shop in Peckham, serving mostly customers from all over the continent who now live in London. Barber's shops like these often operate as a centre for the local African community to come together and socialise, just as much as to get their next haircut - they’re an essential part of the fabric of local African diaspora communities in the city. Re...
7m Jul 15, 2024
7m
Migraciones breves
"The field recording I worked with is from a community kitchen. Music is also a community kitchen. One hears the conversations, the rattles, the shouting of instructions. "I searched my audio archives for these same experiences, my jotting down of music thoughts, a boat ride to a recording session, working on an improvisational recording, amongst other findings to piece together a collage of m...
6m Jul 15, 2024
6m
Prayers at Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara
Prayers recorded inside the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Sikh temple in Southall, London, a modern Sikh temple with space for 3000 worshippers which also organises regular community events. Towards the beginning of the recording you can also hear the intermittent drones of hand dryers as worshippers coming into the Gurdwara wash their hands upon entry. Recorded by Cities and Memory. Part of...
9m Jul 15, 2024
9m
African recalls
"A conversation between African migrants recorded in the city of London, at the barbershop: one of the places where it is easiest to come into contact, a point of reference and socialisation. The conversation is accompanied by rhythms and melodies and takes place in a relaxed atmosphere. I thought of placing the recorded voices in a sonorous fresco intended as a metaphor for the journey. I imag...
11m Jul 15, 2024
11m
Gurdwara community kitchen, Southall
An incredibly welcoming space, this Gurdwara in Southall offers a community kitchen that is free and open to all to come in and enjoy some food - this soundscape is from inside the community kitchen with clattering trays and cutlery, food being served, the sound of washing and drying of hands, and the prayers from the temple being broadcast into the space via TVs and a sound system too. Record...
6m Jul 15, 2024
6m
Sewing machine
"Using reverse engineering techniques, Circular Void synthesizes and designs layers of sounds reminiscent of sewing machines, resulting in an experimental dressmaking soundscape. Resampled mechanical sounds of the workshop, intertwined with electronic elements of analogue and granular synthesis, shape reassembled textures of electroacoustic form. "The composition reflects the struggles of dias...
3m Jul 15, 2024
3m
Natasha's borscht
"These are the sounds of my Ukrainian housemate, Natasha, making borscht. Natasha is a refugee from the war in Ukraine and has lived with me for almost two years now. "We have become fast friends and learned a lot from each other, not just about cooking. The percussion of chopping, the melody of bubbling, the laughter of delight." Recorded by Maria Margaronis. Part of the Migration Sounds pr...
20m Jul 15, 2024
20m
Cañambú
A quartet of musicians from three countries now living in London. In the recording, Carlos Romero (Mexico), Naomi Wilmshurst (UK), Maria Teresa Luson (Cuba) and Bruno Quezada (Mexico) are rehearsing in Greenwich. Recorded by Madeleine Sumption. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration. For more information and to explore the project,...
2m Jul 15, 2024
2m
Sawing and chopping at the meat counter
As recorded in the 2021 UK census, one in six Bangladeshi residents across England and Wales live in Tower Hamlets, making this London borough’s local Bangladeshi population almost twice the size of the next largest within a local authority. Within that, Whitechapel is a major area for the Bangladeshi community, with many local specialist shops providing food from Bangladesh and beyond, such a...
7m Jul 15, 2024
7m
Ipswich Town fans celebrating
"In the recording, you can hear the reaction from football fans after the Iraqi-born Ipswich Town player Ali Al-Hamadi scored to make it Ipswich Town 4 - 0 Millwall FC. The fans initially chant general Ipswich Town songs, before chanting Al-Hamadi's name." Recorded by Ben Brindle. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration. For more in...
36s Jul 15, 2024
36s
Lunar New Year celebration, Greenwich
Lunar New Year celebration at the Maritime Museum in Greenwich - a large crowd of children and parents watch a Lion Dance performed by artists from China. Recorded by Madeleine Sumption. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration. For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration IMAGE: Sue...
1m Jul 15, 2024
1m
Kitchen remix
"In this recomposition I am imagining the kitchen as a universal meeting and sharing space, inspired by the intimate recording of Natasha and Maria. Shared cooking is when distant worlds become close, when family trees and traditions remix and meet in front of a sink and a pan: recipes become a space for stories. "I decided to use only some relevant spoken exchanges, a lot of noises and textur...
2m Jul 15, 2024
2m
Sweet, sad memories of a beautiful place
"The field recording is sampled from a public performance of a band playing traditional Latin music found in countries such as Cuba and Brazil. This music captures the feeling of sweet melancholy - of longing for the beauty of home, while also sharing this cultural expression with an audience in London. "As I listened to this sample over and over, I began to really feel the humanness of the mu...
12m Jul 15, 2024
12m
Marrow
"This composition was partly inspired by my experience with migration and how it affected me. I moved to Switzerland as an infant and back to Portugal in my early teens. The decision to focus the composition around a low-frequency drone is based on my early memories of flying in an aeroplane.  "At the same time, the high-frequency sweeps of noise illustrate the sound of crashing waves from my ...
5m Jul 15, 2024
5m
Hinchas
"The original recording is a group of fans for a football club, in Argentina we usually call it "la hinchada." Each club in each country has a different song and here I could notice it, it is a very special passion that goes in a fan wherever he goes, regardless of the language. "I resorted to using wind, reverb and delay like in a real stadium. Very spacious." Millwall FC chant reimagined by...
3m Jul 15, 2024
3m
A lion's new pride
"I was immediately caught by the metallic sounds and percussive nature of the recording. The location of Greenwich and lunar new year theme also appealed to me as I used to work in the area and had a colleague celebrating Lunar new year at the time. "Migration stories at their core always centre around people or groups moving from one locality, area, country to another and as someone who has m...
7m Jul 15, 2024
7m
Pierogi in a pan
 Inside the kitchen at Bar Polski, a close-up recording of traditional Polish pierogi being prepared, including the bubbling of a boiling pan, followed by the frying of bacon and onions - at the end of the recording we leave the small kitchen and head back out into the bustling bar. Recorded by Cities and Memory. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds...
4m Jul 14, 2024
4m
Amazing Grace
 Singers from a local Cameroonian church in Peckham take to the streets to sing a version of “Amazing Grace”, accompanied by an acoustic guitar. The soundscape is lent a surreal edge by the robotic recorded voice advertising a closing down sale for Wow Peckham, the shop directly behind us. Recorded by Cities and Memory. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of th...
2m Jul 14, 2024
2m
Steel drums in Brixton
 Brixton in London is also known as Little Jamaica, the heart of the Jamaican community in the city. In this recording, we can hear a steel drum group performing directly outside the tube station. Recorded by Cities and Memory. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration. For more information and to explore the project, see https://www....
2m Jul 14, 2024
2m
Made For Ukraine community event
 Conversations with local Ukrainian people and soundscape of incidental music, and ambience at the Made For Ukraine fundraiser event in All Saints Church, Hove, 21st October 2023. Music in this recording is not from live music performances on the day, but instead includes clips from song and dance workshops and someone improvising on the piano while the gig was being set up. Recorded by Phill...
13m Jul 14, 2024
13m
Bedouins, South Sinai
This recording captures my connection with a Bedouin tribe in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, where an unconditional love for the land is ever-present. Bedouins persist in leading a traditional, subsistence lifestyle, moving from place to place and engaging in trade between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. Isolated from the rest of Egypt, their settlements are nestled among high mountains, incl...
2m Jul 14, 2024
2m
Here at the border
 "Starting off in a Polish bar’s kitchen in London, we take a journey through sound association. "15 personal recordings from 10 locations in Europe and Asia have been added to the original recording. They are sounds of places I settled in - at first unsettling, later soundprints of a feeling called home; and sounds that brought me back while on the move - like the taste of a homeland dish in ...
15m Jul 14, 2024
15m
World closing down
"Migration is movement. It may be escape or connected with ambition and dreams. We selected ‘019 Amazing Grace’ because of its connection with the uplift of the spirit. This was our starting point. The end of the field recording repeats ‘closing down sale’ and this prompted a vision of closed borders. The juxtaposition of being uplifted and closed down reflected the journey that we often find o...
2m Jul 14, 2024
2m
Steel and melancholia
 "Ever since I was 7 years old and first "played" with the Interactive Media of Encarta 97 Encyclopedia World Music on my computer, I became captivated by the sounds of Trinidad's steel drums. These sounds, perhaps through cultural associations, filled me with absolute joy. In the naive imagination of a 7-year-old Peruvian girl, the Caribbean was portrayed as a paradise brimming with life and c...
2m Jul 14, 2024
2m