From 29 October — 8 November 2015 world-reknowned production team Cryptic presents Sonica, an 11-day festival of “sonic art for the visually minded”. Taking place in a range of venues across Glasgow, Scotland, including a science museum, an Edwardian swimming baths, a mausoleum, and art galleries, the programme brings together a range of performances, installations, and events that promise to delight and beguile both ears and eyes.
The lineup has a strong international flavour, with innovative percussion ensemble Speak Percussion (Australia) presenting a synaesthetic display of sound and light with the help of artist Robin Fox; audio-visual wizardry from Herman Kolgen and spinning-top electronica from Myriam Bleau (both Québec); and Jompet Kuswidananto‘s exploration of the flowering of artistic expression following political reformation (Indonesia), among many others. Robbie Thomson‘s installation of kinetic mechanical sculptures is inspired by monumental interventions made into the landscape by human activities such as mining and damming; Lauren Hayes presents an intimate concert experience in the Hamilton Mausoleum, claimed to have the longest echo of any manmade structure in the world; and Mark Lyken performs outcomes from his collaborations with Sanford Museum, Iowa (exploring the legacy of groundbreaking electronic music pioneer Ben F. Laposky) and ecologists at Aberdeen University’s Lighthouse Field Station (responding to the ever-changing environments of the Cromarty Firth).
If you’re interested in exploring how the senses interact, or just want to experience some great art in inspiring spaces, this looks like something well worth checking out.