The Unlonely City

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. 

With a quarter of UK adults experiencing loneliness, it is a national issue, particularly at a time when community centres and precious libraries are closing across the UK and spaces to gather are becoming few and far between.

Metal believes there is a strong difference between loneliness and solitude, with many of the artists we work with often seeking solitude to develop their artistic practice, but longing for kinship and connection within their communities. Loneliness is often compounded by an intersection of inequalities and a strong thread of The Unlonely City is the loneliness faced by people who are marginalised. 

The name references Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City, where she explores the loneliness she finds in New York City through art.  

“Loneliness is personal, and it is also political. Loneliness is collective; it is a city.” Olivia Laing 

Artist Commission – As We Gather
In April 2025, we commissioned our first piece of work for The Unlonely City — the Power and Democracy Commission. It aimed to understand how local people in our areas were experiencing loneliness to build the next stages of the programme, as well as to mark a first step in enabling citizen-led decision-making. We place an artist at the centre of this practice – dreaming up a structure for citizens assemblies, or a new kind of gathering, to gain knowledge about the ways people feel close to others and themselves.

The Power and Democracy Commission was awarded to artist Luca Rutherford, who delivered As We Gather. For As We Gather, Luca invited people from across Liverpool, Peterborough, and Southend to spend time with strangers they share a city with. As We Gather was an invitation to imagine, to pause, to listen.

Social Action Programmes and Mass-Participation 
Still in development, the second phase of The Unlonely City will be led by communities and the artists who are an important part of those communities. Community decision-makers will make key decisions about the artistic commissions, projects and perhaps even new organisations to tackle the most pressing concerns around loneliness in each city. There will also be a surprise, mass-participatory moment across the country… 

The Unlonely City launches our new strategy to inspire positive change through art and creativity. We want the programme to last 10 years to see how much real change is made over an extended period of time in cities. 

“We are delighted to launch The Unlonely City, a celebration of creative power. Loneliness is an often invisible, painful and political issue. It presents in our bodies, our homes, our services and our public spaces, and is different to solitude. The programme is the first of Metal’s new strategy, which champions the right of artists and other curious people to come together to make lasting change. The Unlonely City will embrace the potential of art and creativity to bring people together to nurture laughter, solidarity and friendship over years in our Liverpool, Southend and Peterborough communities.” – Susie Thornberry, Artistic Director and CEO, Metal 

Get Involved 
Our open call for an artist is now closed. Watch this space for further announcements.
We are looking for partners and funders to support this next phase. Learn more about this here. 

The Unlonely City programme is funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation as part of the Arts Award.

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Unlonely City Projects