UNESCO

June 2020 and we were to perform Orchestra of Samples at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris for the launch of their new magazine Humanities Arts and Society, the event was unfortunately cancelled due to the pandemic.

UNESCO are an agency for the United Nations, and their name is an acronym for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, they encourage international peace and collaborations.  On a positive note, we were also asked to write an article for the first edition of the magazine about Orchestra of Samples, its ten year history, our ever expanding archive and the whole ethos of breaking down cultural and musical barriers by sampling diverse instruments to create new music – in some cases those on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.  The aim of HAS magazine is to contribute to cross-cultural and multidisciplinary collaborations and is a platform for positive change in society on both a local and global level.

Read the article here and watch this short interview for their website…

In January 2020, before the pandemic, we visited UNESCO (photos below) for a meeting and site recce.

It’s a huge and beautiful building, built In the 1950’s and housing offices, multiple international assembly halls and conference rooms (all with interpreter booths and individual headphones for attending international guests) and an incredibly impressive art collection by the likes of Picasso, Henry Moore and Victor Vasarely.


With big thanks to HAS magazine, Mémoire de l’Avenir and the UNESCO team.