This collaborative project follows two aspiring musicians coming together to explore whether music can truly serve as a shelter in difficult times. Inspired by shared tea sessions and a mutual love for music, we aimed to express the feelings of warmth and belonging that tea symbolized for us, especially when far from home. Moving to London, leaving our countries and comfort behind, brought excitement and a sense of adventure—but also moments of discomfort. Navigating this new life, we found ourselves learning to create warmth and familiarity in small things, like music, to help make this new space feel like home.

With the support of some amazing individuals and contributions from those who participated in our survey, we tried our hands at creating music that evokes a sense of comfort and safety—essentially, a “shelter.” Though this was my first time attempting something like this, I’m proud of my effort. The experience of collaborating with incredible musicians and producers has been invaluable, giving me the opportunity to recognize some of my dormant skills and develop them further.

Along with a small book outlining the project, the music and a collection of poems were curated from the responses to the question: "Do you consider music to be your shelter? What does it mean to you?" Three additional poems were specially curated for the theme of Shelter. The visuals in the book were inspired by keywords from our research.

This project was completed as part of the Collaborative Unit of the Master's course at the University of the Arts London.