Sonic Frontlines is a project by EarthSonic and In Place of War that explores the connections between war, climate, and biodiversity loss.
It strives to collect and archive audio recordings of conflict and direct and structural violence in affected areas
– airstrikes, collapsing infrastructure, water contamination, sirens, drones, displaced voices, and even pre-escalation recordings of everyday life – as source material for new musical works that anchor collective resistance and ground solidarity.
Conflicts, wars, and structural violence in their many forms leave deep scars not only on communities but also on the ecosystems they depend on.
From deforestation and contaminated water sources to the poisoning of soil and air, the environmental toll of war is often overlooked.
By capturing and repurposing the sonic traces of this damage, the project repositions listening as a political and emotional act.
We're working with local partners and field recordists to gather and document sounds from conflict-affected regions. We are focusing on Palestine, Lebanon, and South Sudan, but welcome submissions from any place affected by direct or structural violence.
All recordings will be contextually annotated and housed within EarthSonic Archives.
Public call-out for sounds
We are launching a call-out for sound submissions for Sonic Frontlines for areas affected by conflict and structural violence, which will be turned into a sound collection by EarthSonic Archives.
Musicians from or connected to affected regions will then be invited to create new works using the submitted sounds.
The resulting compositions will be shared through an album on the EarthSonic record label, online platforms, and potentially, exhibitions and educational workshops in the future.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 31 AUGUST 2026
How your sounds will be used
All sounds submitted will be stored in EarthSonic Archives.
If sounds are selected for use on the Sonic Frontlines album, contributors of sounds will be given a choice of whether they want to receive a share of the royalties.
Sonic Frontlines is a call to action, offering artists and listeners a new way to engage with the hidden environmental costs of war, and asking how sound can be a bridge between memory, healing, and climate justice.
Partners
We have partnered with a range of incredible organisations across the world to engage with communities impacted by conflict.
This project would not be possible without the support of:
Likikiri Collective
Likikiri Collective is a multimedia arts and education organization located in Juba, South Sudan that uses the arts and humanities, cultural heritage and creativity to work with communities on social issues.
They are dedicated to initiating, organising and collaborating on arts and humanities-based projects that document the life, explore the cultures, and voice the concerns of South Sudanese.
They take an intercultural and interdisciplinary approach to our work, seeking connections across various sectors, including education, culture, development, and peacebuilding.
Instagram: @likikiri
Turba تُرْبَة
Turba تُرْبَة (turbasoil.org) is an independent media and mutual aid platform based in Berlin, for artists, activists, healers, and practitioners working under war, siege, and repression.
Its work asks what post-systemic infrastructure for culture can look like when built across geographies, sustaining cultural resistance in both diaspora and homeland, and carrying voices across distance through documentation, mutual aid, and solidarity.
Instagram: @turba_soil
Sonic Ecology
Sonic Ecology is a creative studio that works with sound to increase understanding of the world and what transformation is needed for sustainable change. Their process is based on a deep experience in sound, music and systemic issues, developed over 20 years of working on film, art and media productions. At the heart of their practice is the understanding that art can and is changing the world, and the way forward is to be bold, experiment, experience accidents, and arrive in unexpected and wonderful places. They seek to build and be part of the mycelium that builds community and reciprocity to evolve culture towards an ecological society.
Instagram: @sonicecology
Beirut & Beyond
Beirut and Beyond provides assistance to Palestinian refugee communities across the Middle East.
Their partnership with Palestinian-led organisations involves providing them with necessary support, including funding, projects, resources, and manpower.
In the United States, their primary focus is to educate on Palestinian refugee narrative. They are committed to advocating for the rights of Palestinian refugees.
Instagram: @bbimf
Space of Urgency
Space of Urgency (spaceofurgency.org) is a Berlin-based network of founders of non-dominant cultural spaces, collectives, and community initiatives.
Together they work to improve conditions for self-organisation and access to physical space, resisting the legal, political, and economic pressures that push independent culture out of the room.
Instagram: @spaceofurgency
Action for Hope / Landscapes of Hope
Action for Hope (AFH) is a non-profit Belgian association that was founded in 2015 to meet the cultural needs of marginalized and displaced communities. It has since led and implemented various programs and projects in Arab countries.
Though AFH's main geographic focus is the Arab region, it has also previously organized cultural activities in Germany, Mexico, and the Netherlands. In addition, AFH leads the international civil society network "Landscapes of Hope " that includes 23 organizations from the Global South. AFH has 17 members from different countries and is governed by an elected board of 7 members.
Instagram: @actforhope
Instagram: @landscapeofhope_
Wonder Cabinet
The Wonder Cabinet is a space for artistic production and cultural development in Bethlehem, Palestine. Inspired by precedents such as the Bauhaus and Black Mountain College, it is conceived as a living, evolving ecosystem for interdisciplinary learning and making, where art, architecture, sound, food, heritage, and material culture come into dialogue. At once artist studios, café and restaurant, co-working space, sound and radio booth, performance hall, cinema, and workshop, since opening in 2023 Wonder Cabinet has grown into a dynamic cultural hub, and a platform for artistic research and production, including the research and residency program Sounds of Places. The Wonder Cabinet is home to the founders' architecture and design firms AAU Anastas and Local Industries, and the global media platform Radio alHara.
Instagram: @wonder.cabinet
Sound Matters
Sound Matters - Mike Edwards and Harry Coade - is widely acknowledged as a global leader in the use of sound and the art of listening to help individuals and organisations understand, and help solve, the most fundamental challenges facing the world. Sound Matters has a clear mission which is to create a universal culture of listening whereby every individual and organisation can access the power of sound and listening to create a better world.
Instagram: @soundmattershq
Our Call to Action
Our vision, principles for action and call to action for our governments.