We’re launching nine unique commissions to disrupt loneliness in interesting ways across Liverpool, Peterborough and Southend.
In Autumn 2025, artists submitted their creative project ideas as part of The Unlonely City. Since then, and even before then, we’ve been thinking about how we can create unlonely cities through creativity, curiosity and just the right amount of chaos.
Commissioning shaped by local people
Local people are an important part of creative decision-making and for the first time at Metal, we trialled a new way of commissioning artistic work with citizen-led creative action panels in Liverpool, Peterborough and Southend. The result? Nine ideas responding to the needs of each locality selected by our panels, our communities, you. With events including making scouse with a scouser, art lockers and banquets, each proposal is as unique as the other, fostering moments of laughter and connection.
About the projects
From January to March, there will be opportunities across all three sites to get involved with these activities in your local area.
The artists and projects coming to disrupt loneliness near you:
Art Lockers with Rose Croft
Rose will be creating a series of Art Lockers that will tour various community places and spaces across Peterborough. Each locker will have a piece of artwork that can be taken, as well as a chance for people to put their own artworks in, asking what happens when we open up spaces that are usually closed and private and invite people to share instead of keeping things to themselves.
Stick and Scratch with Sarah Saxby
Sarah will be working with YMCA Community Hub in Bretton on Stick and Scratch, a youth produced performance night featuring local creatives.
A Banquet of Hope with Wild Roots Collective
Wild Roots Collective will be hosting a Banquet of Hope in the springtime, for those living with long-term chronic illnesses.
Make Scouse with a Scouser Dora Colquhoun
Dora will be hosting a series of Making Scouse with a Scouser cooking sessions, a chance to learn how to make Scouse and share stories with friends old and new.
Spinning Yarns with Tool/Toy Project
Tool/Toy Project will be hosting a series of creative fibre-spinning parties designed to disrupt loneliness and foster connection among those living with chronic illness and pain.
Wall Mural with Mark Brogan, Omima Hasbelrsoul Ahmed Mohamed, and Asylum Link
Mark and Omima will be working with a group of people seeking asylum and refugees to create a large wall-painting/mural for the main recreation hall at Asylum Link Merseyside.
Rainbow Roots with Maddy McMurray
Maddy will be working on Rainbow Roots, a community gardening project in partnership with Southend Pride, Transpire, and HARP Southend.
Southend Strangers with Mark Massey
Mark will be leading Southend Strangers, a participatory photography project that pairs people from different generations and backgrounds to create portraits of connection.
Southend-on-Imagination with Gulsen
Gulsen will bring groups of Southend residents with a recent personal immigration history together with those who have been living in the area for more than 15 years, through resident-led walks and creative sessions
Find out more about the artists and what’s taking place at your nearest site:
Liverpool | Peterborough | Southend
The Unlonely City is an arts programme disrupting loneliness, nurturing moments of solidarity, surprise and laughter. Through a series of artistic commissions, citizens assemblies, parties and public conversations, The Unlonely City takes place across Liverpool, Peterborough, and Southend, where Metal is based, to imagine what an ‘unlonely’ city could be.
The Unlonely City programme is funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation as part of the Arts Award.
