Each city has its own voice, mainly described by its inhabitants, its history, or its industries. Similar to Beijing, Lima suffers because of pollution. The only difference between the two cities is that Beijing is described by the “Very High” pollution degree, while Lima finds itself at “High.” Yes, the South American city might aspire to be like Beijing, but surely just in terms of economy and not pollution.
Cause…who on earth would aim to be one of the planet’s most polluted city? Well, maybe because of this, Peruvian gas company Cálidda gave a voice to the Peruvian city Lima. “Lima Talks” is a project that draws attention to the city’s pollution with a hoarse voice narrating what happens within its borders. Actually, the voice is the sound of Lima. As you hear it, a shiver runs down your spine…
Nowadays, it is only fair to assume that most cities around the world sound pretty much the same because of the COVID-19 situation. Not hoarse, but sad. And it’s understandable why: Kids can’t get out to play, people can’t go to work, bars are closed, and going out exploring the wonders of nature is out of the question. Yet, the city of Brussels found a way to make isolation easier for its inhabitants.
Just like other cities around the world, the capital of Belgium has been under isolation for more than a month now. Not seeing your family and friends can damage your psyche. In an attempt to avoid bad emotional outcomes, STIB/MIVB, the local public transport operator in the capital, came up with an original plan to connect people and increase solidarity. By joining hands with creative agency mortierbrigade, the company launched “Voices of Brussels,” an interactive experience that aims to fill the locals’ hearts with joy.
The idea behind this urban adventure is quite simple: You just have to record a message or type one though Messenger. Be careful to add your name to it. Then, add the address of the receiver and send it to the STIB/MIVB. They store all the messages and once they have enough “data,” they go on the streets. A bus will drive through the streets of the city, whilst on its external speakers the messages will be made public, so not only the target recipients can hear them but their neighbors too.
Barbara Foucart, Brand Marketing Manager at STIB/MIVB, said: “The past few weeks STIB/MIVB focused on the protection of its travelers and the health of its staff, with extra measurements and strong communication on the dangers of COVID-19. Today we want to prove more than ever, that we all are Brussels, by keeping everyone in Brussels in touch with each other.”
Joost Berends, Executive Creative Director and partner of mortierbrigade, adds: “Most people are still very connected in these isolated days. We use our phones, Facetime, Skype, Zoom, and other video call software to stay in touch with each other. With the ‘Voices of Brussels’ bus, we’re able to connect Brussels on a more personal level, because the spoken messages will be heard all over the city. Our goal is to put a smile on everyone’s face and bring the citizens of Brussels closer together.”
We’ll conclude by quoting Einstein: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” Without any doubt, this project is a perfect example of what the physicist said. It has the capacity of being adopted by other countries in the world, having unquestionable potential to lead to progress by boosting the local’s morale, that can further contribute to evolution.
Credits:
Client: STIB/MIVB
Agency: mortierbrigade