Narc. Magazine Online
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A year-long piece of music harnessing the city’s sounds and environment will help celebrate Sunderland’s new-found Music City status.
Sunderland’s newly minted status as a global Music City is being marked by an ambitious year-long composition, SonOrbitUs—a generative piece shaped by the city’s own rhythms, weather and movement. Streaming live here until September 2026, the project uses real-time data—wind speed, footfall, traffic, rainfall and more—to create music that evolves with the city.
Led by Field Music’s Peter Brewis and composer Ed Carter, with sound artist Tim Shaw and data researcher Becky Allen, the team have built instruments and textures from local recordings and materials, including glass bottles—a nod to Sunderland’s industrial heritage. The result is a constantly shifting soundscape, split into seasonal movements, where listeners might catch echoes of seagulls, coal trains or children in The Bridges.
Visitors to The Fire Station can also interact with the SonOrbitUs Music Maker, waving hands in front of a webcam to shape the sound themselves. Developed by Sunderland Music City and Smart City, and funded by Arts Council England, the project celebrates the city’s creative identity and its place in a global network of music-led transformation.
