Page Text: Contact
Home
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Toronto Transit Commission and the City of Toronto’s Year of Public Art, A More Beautiful Journey is a landmark XR (extended reality) audio installation that will transform Toronto public transit in 2022 – providing riders with generative, site-specific soundtracks for their commutes.
Through the platform’s mobile, web-based interface, users will experience ambient songs, soundscapes, and scores for over 30 stretches of above-ground TTC line. Custom audio is contributed by artists from, and for, neighbourhoods spanning the breadth of Toronto’s public transit lines.
As riders travel across streetcars and bus lines, musical excerpts emerge, evolve, and fade in response to changing neighbourhoods and landmarks. Sonic combinations will be as diverse as the paths Torontonians take each day.
Artist call for submissions – closed Feb 9, 2022.
We are currently reviewing applications following an overwhelming show of interest — our sincere appreciation to all who applied!
All applicants will be notified by the end of March, 2022.
A More Beautiful Journey offers new modes of encounter with our urban geography
…simultaneously public and private, intimate and communal, and accessible to millions of daily riders across the TTC.
AMBJ maps the work of its artists to the places they live, work and travel — across the city’s largest canvas for public art.
Open Call for Artist Submissions
AMBJ is soliciting applications from artists to produce site-specific ambient compositions. Individual pieces will be linked to sections of transit lines in neighbourhoods across Toronto. We are seeking submissions from a wide range of artists, for a wide range of work that spans styles, genres, and influences.
The App
Compositions for A More Beautiful Journey will be experienced via a smartphone app that allows artists to situate sound files within GPS-bound perimeters. Artists will record work and use AMBJ-provided software to link their sounds to dedicated sections of bus and streetcar routes.
Training
All artists will receive training on how to use the back-end software ( Soundways ) to create spatialized sonic / musical work.
Complimentary access to music production software is available to all selected contributors.
Selection Process
A jury of Toronto-based artists will select a final roster of contributing artists for the app.
We strongly encourage submissions from a wide range of applicants — regardless of gender, age, race, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, ability, musical style/literacy and/or experience. In addition to breadth of representation, equity-seeking identities will be prioritized.
Artists can apply as individuals or as a group / ensemble.
Please note: while applicants will propose work for a specific geographic area, it may be the case that artists selected by the jury are asked to compose for alternate areas, depending on availability.
Remuneration and deliverables
If selected, artists will be paid $2,500 for their piece.
Work creation process runs for approximately three months, from March – May, 2022.
Artists will need to access the sites they are writing for, during that period.
Artists will need to self-record their submissions.
AMBJ will coordinate, and pay for, mixing and mastering.
How to Apply
Applications are now closed. Thank you to all who applied!
Questions or requests: info@amorebeautifuljourney.ca