Voice of the City
a special cultural program within Baku Urban Week, bringing together the rhythm, sound, and creative energy of the city.
Location: Azerbaijanfilm Film Studio named after Jafar Jabbarli, Baku, AZ
Date: 16.05.2026
Curator: Sabina Shikhlinskaya
Presented Artists:
Emin Mathers
Ramil Mammadli
Bakhtiyar Zeydzade
Baku, Azerbaijan — May 16, 2026 — As part of Baku Urban Week, ahead of the Azerbaijan Urban Campaign and the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), the special cultural program “Voice of the City” will take place in the capital of Azerbaijan.
The event will be held within the historic space of the Azerbaijanfilm Film Studio named after Jafar Jabbarli, offering a new perspective on the city not only as an object of urbanism and architecture, but also as a space where music, digital art, cinematic heritage, and contemporary creative industries intersect.
The project “Voice of the City” aims to present Baku’s multilayered urban identity through a new format in which the city is reimagined as rhythm, sound, visual storytelling, and collective experience. Guests will experience a dynamic program featuring DJ sets, audiovisual performances, video mapping, digital projections, mural concepts, and specially designed artistic interventions integrated into the unique historical atmosphere of the film studio.
The visual program features: Sabina Shikhlinskaya (curator of the visual program), Emin Mathers (live video mapping), Ramil Mammadli (animation), and Bakhtiyar Zeydzade (mural).
The musical part of the program will be presented by DJ Pancho, Hazi Karim, Cestlek, and Sløu, who will bring the rhythm of the city to life through electronic music and contemporary performative formats.
The project is implemented by Torpağın Səsi and AtəşHub. The event is supported by the Azerbaijan Republic Cinema Agency, the Center for Cultural and Creative Industries Development, the Azerbaijanfilm Film Studio, and Yelo Bank.
As an important part of Baku Urban Week, “Voice of the City” offers a creative vision of the future of urban culture, positioning Baku within the global urban discourse not only as an example of urban development, but also as a space for contemporary culture and creative transformation.
The event will be held within the historic space of the Azerbaijanfilm Film Studio named after Jafar Jabbarli, offering a new perspective on the city not only as an object of urbanism and architecture, but also as a space where music, digital art, cinematic heritage, and contemporary creative industries intersect.
The project “Voice of the City” aims to present Baku’s multilayered urban identity through a new format in which the city is reimagined as rhythm, sound, visual storytelling, and collective experience. Guests will experience a dynamic program featuring DJ sets, audiovisual performances, video mapping, digital projections, mural concepts, and specially designed artistic interventions integrated into the unique historical atmosphere of the film studio.
The visual program features: Sabina Shikhlinskaya (curator of the visual program), Emin Mathers (live video mapping), Ramil Mammadli (animation), and Bakhtiyar Zeydzade (mural).
The musical part of the program will be presented by DJ Pancho, Hazi Karim, Cestlek, and Sløu, who will bring the rhythm of the city to life through electronic music and contemporary performative formats.
The project is implemented by Torpağın Səsi and AtəşHub. The event is supported by the Azerbaijan Republic Cinema Agency, the Center for Cultural and Creative Industries Development, the Azerbaijanfilm Film Studio, and Yelo Bank.
As an important part of Baku Urban Week, “Voice of the City” offers a creative vision of the future of urban culture, positioning Baku within the global urban discourse not only as an example of urban development, but also as a space for contemporary culture and creative transformation.
Ramil Mammadli
Bakhtiyar Zeydzade
- Exposition
Artists and presented works:
Emin Mathers
Within the framework of a one-hour live performance, Emin created a real-time visual composition synchronized with the rhythm and motifs of the DJ set, using fragments of archival footage from Baku and its residents taken from iconic films produced by Azerbaijanfilm during the 20th century. On a secondary visual layer, these scenes were connected with psychedelic animations created both by the artist himself and contemporary digital artist Jake Fried. By merging two seemingly incompatible visual worlds, the performance opened a fresh perspective on imagery deeply familiar to the local audience, transforming collective memory into a contemporary audiovisual experience.
Within the framework of a one-hour live performance, Emin created a real-time visual composition synchronized with the rhythm and motifs of the DJ set, using fragments of archival footage from Baku and its residents taken from iconic films produced by Azerbaijanfilm during the 20th century. On a secondary visual layer, these scenes were connected with psychedelic animations created both by the artist himself and contemporary digital artist Jake Fried. By merging two seemingly incompatible visual worlds, the performance opened a fresh perspective on imagery deeply familiar to the local audience, transforming collective memory into a contemporary audiovisual experience.
- Photoreportage
- Publications
In the lead-up to WUF13, a special cultural program, "Voice of the City," was presented.
A special cultural program entitled “Voice of the City” was presented at the historic space of the Jafar Jabbarli Azerbaijanfilm Studio as part of the Baku Urban Development Week, in anticipation of the Azerbaijan Urban Development Campaign and the 13th session of the World Urban Forum.
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