work::sounds – What does the working world sound like?
A music education project for professional orientation
“work::sounds” was a project for pupils at vocational and general education schools in Vienna, developed and delivered by us in collaboration with the Vienna Chamber of Labour. Using methods of aesthetic research, young people explored different working environments through sound, making the acoustic dimensions of the working world audible. Together with the participants, a new approach to career orientation emerged, alongside a creative engagement with the nature of work itself.
At the heart of the project were on-site sound recordings, creative workshops, and final presentations in which pupils shared their discoveries – from the noise of machinery to fragments of conversation. Together with musicians and music producers, they shaped these experiences into sound clips that illuminated working realities from new perspectives. From 2020 to 2022, we expanded the workshop series: alongside the musical work created with renowned music producers, impressions were also processed visually in collaboration with video artist nita.
Through artistic encounters with the working world, young people developed a nuanced understanding of different professions and strengthened their perceptual capacities. Each project phase invited participants to explore working environments together – and encouraged them to approach their own future prospects with confidence and agency.
Video clips from different project years can be found on the EDUCULT YouTube channel.
Music videos from the workshop series 2020 – 2022
