The Unlonely City is an arts programme disrupting loneliness, nurturing moments of solidarity, surprise and laughter in Liverpool, Peterborough Southend. Through a series of artistic commissions, citizens assemblies, parties and public conversations, The Unlonely City will take 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
In the pilot phase of The Unlonely City, there will be a national open call for an artist or creative who is interested in power and cultural democracy. Working collaboratively, the artist will dream 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, and the ways they feel alone in the city. Using this learning, the artist will create an artwork that shows how feelings of, and attitudes towards, loneliness change over time in our places.
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.
