I’m excited to have a Featured Artist Exhibition at Glasgow Print Studio. 🙏😊
A Kind of Scoring
Preview – 5th March 2026, all welcome!
The exhibition runs from 6th – 28th March.
More information at: Glasgow Print Studio Exhibitions
A Kind of Scoring presents a series of abstract landscapes that evoke experiences of sound and listening – part of a body of work I’m continuing to develop over the next few months. I’m grateful to Glasgow Print Studio for this opportunity to share the work.
I’m pleased to share new album Scenes from the Blue – available from 6th March 2026 on Bandcamp.
The album is available as CD and Digital Download.
Link: Scenes from the Blue at Bandcamp
While Bandcamp is a good option, this album is also streaming across platforms of choice from 20th March 2026.
Link: https://ffm.to/nicholascrutton-scenesfromtheblue
Creative Scotland and Tramway Glasgow for supporting this work.
I’m delighted to share that I’ve been selected for In Motion at Sound and Music. The programme runs for 18 months, and I’ll be making new work. More info to follow. Sign up for updates at Newsletter. Read more about In Motion and the selected composers here:
Sound and Music announces new In Motion 2025 composer cohort – Sound and Music
In Motion is supported by:
My limited edition etching Windborne (soundscape) has been selected for the Royal Society of British Artists | Annual Exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London. The etching was created and printed at the Glasgow Print Studio, Scotland.
The exhibition runs from 26th Feb – 8 March 2025 from 10 am – 5 pm.
More info about the exhibition at: https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/exhibitions-events/royal-society-british-artists-annual-exhibition-2025
I’m delighted to have three works from my Fleeting Forms series in the 2024 Glasgow Print Studio Christmas Exhibition. Along with all the works in the exhibition, these Monoprints are available to buy directly from the gallery, with framed or unframed options, until the end of the exhibiton 1st February 2025. Pop in, or visit the link for more info and enquiries:
https://shop.glasgowprintstudio.co.uk/exhibitions/89-christmas-exhibition-first-floor-gallery
I work freelance with Sonic Bothy inclusive music/arts charity (2013-current) and occasionally post an update of our activities. Please visit Sonic Bothy’s website for detailed information about the charity’s work, team, community, and programmes. Here’s a link to donate to Sonic Bothy, if that’s of interest – to help continue its work and reach more people. www.sonicbothy.co.uk/donate
This November (2024) we were excited to perform twice – at the Glad Cafe for 1.5 Months on 14th, and at CCA Glasgow as part of GIOfest on the 30th. We premiered two new works – Public Inconvenience and Feed.Back. More updates on those on Sonic Bothy’s website and socials.
In 2023, Sonic Bothy Ensemble won the Musicians’ Union Award for New Music Performer/s at the Scottish Awards for New Music for our performance film Verbaaaaatim, which premiered at Tectonics Festival, Glasgow in 2021.
Sonic Bothy has been busy with various strands of activity – I’m delighted to have been co-facilitator on a range of Open Sessions, a Rural Project with Strathearn Arts in Crieff (2023) ; and a new Hospice Project in collaboration with The Art Room, Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, and young people in palliative care (2024).
In November 2024, I co-presented at the 5th Annual International Symposium for the Arts in Palliative Care (with Caroline Hussey) , which took place at St Columba’s Hospice in Edinburgh.
Sonic Bothy Ensemble’s debut album Fields is still available at Bandcamp in hard copy and digital formats…https://sonicbothy.bandcamp.com/album/fields
I was delighted to co-present at the 5th Annual International Symposium for the Arts in Palliative Care at St Columba’s Hospice, Edinburgh in November 2024. Caroline Hussey and I shared some reflections on our sound and performance project working with young adults at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow, which took place earlier in 2024. The project was a new collaboration between Sonic Bothy inclusive music/arts charity and The Art Room at the Hospice.
The theme of the Symposium was “Creative health care and dying” and our presentation title was:
Exploring sound and performance in sensory-based work with young people transitioning from paediatric to adult palliative care services: Some reflections.
More details on the Symposium and the presenters and guests is archived at:
Radio Art Zone – curated and edited by Sarah Washington
“Radio Art Zone explores the central themes and techniques of artist-made radio, emerging from over 20 years of practice in the field by a multitude of artists. It is a reflection of the world’s largest exhibition of radio art, also title Radio Art Zone, a project by the artist duo Modile Radio (Sarah Washington and Knut Aufermann) in collaboration with Luxembourg community station Radio ARA, which broadcast for 100 days as part of the program of the European Capital Culture Esch 2022.”
Book Cover, Radio Art Zone, published by Hatje Cantz
I’m thrilled to have two drawings and a micro-essay included in this new book Radio Art Zone, curated & edited by Sarah Washington. The experimental publication contains a stunning array of visual & textual contributions from artists worldwide.
The book is available in bookshops, online, and direct from the publisher at:
The residency at Hospitalfield was a very welcome break from my usual workspace, and I really appreciated the sea walks and open vistas. The combination of working on own projects and sharing time with the other artists-in-residence worked really well, particularly as some themes in the work resonated across our distinct practices. Everyone was very generous in many ways. I’m currently developing a film iteration of Night Vision. This focused time sparked a new direction in that work, as well as other seed ideas to carry forward in new work.
Many thanks to everyone at Hospitalfield and to all the August 2023 artists.
Night Vision is supported by Creative Scotland.
Delighted that recordings made via the internet during lockdown 2021 by Ali Robertson and me have been released by the consistently wonderful Chocolate Monk.
The always excellent Chocolate Monk has turned this collaborative effort into a limited edition of 60 limited edition CD-Rs with gorgeous artwork by Karen Constance. You can get them at: https://chocolatemonk.co.uk/available.html
“The last train is at 11:30pm and I wouldnae recommend the night bus. It’ll be full of Lothians troglodytes, Cumbernauld carbuncles and folks what like their improv idiomatic. Best hop in our taxi. It willnae be cheap and, with two drivers pulling in opposite directions on the same wheel, you’ll be unsure which way is up let alone which is East or West. Ensure you’re wearing your seat belt on this tour of the Scottish Central Belt as your escorts are predisposed to unleashing belters for strings, gobs & kerfuffle and you’ll get pure pelters if you dinnae subscribe to their version of the Highway Code.”
“‘Interzone’ is a mesmerizing and captivating work of experimental sound art. These haunting and beautiful soundscapes of layered vocals and various immersive noises effectively capture the dream-like twilight state that marks the end of the day, and also heralds the coming night…”
https://audiocrackle.blogspot.com/2023/06/non-music-roundup-june-23.html
“Sound design fans will be well-fed this month. Nichola Scrutton’s Interzone (15 Jun) earns its experimental distinction with innovations in performance and post-production, as well as themes of liminality, or in-betweenness. In-studio, Scrutton performs idiosyncratic vocal techniques, guttural chanting and sharp intakes of breath, which are intermixed with abstract accompaniments, modulating into the notes themselves. Unfamiliar methods of distortion create the sense that this is all a distant dream, or, as Scrutton’s voice becomes more overwhelming and antagonistic, a restless nightmare.” https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/new-music/scottish-new-music-round-up-june-2023
Delighted Trio from Interzone to has been included on the Music Now: New Scottish Music playlist, 30 Scottish bands and artists. Listen at: MUSIC NOW – Spotify
Quartet B was included in Late Junction 9th June 2023
“…Elsewhere in the show, we hear some energetic Cameroonian bikutsi from the late Roger Bekono, experiments on a toy glockenspiel from Australian producer Broken Chip, and vocal reflections on the space between wakefulness and sleep from Glasgow-based composer Nichola Scrutton.” More at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001mdc4
New album Interzone was released on Nonclassical label on 15th June 2023, and is currently available in CD and digital formats.
https://nicholascrutton.bandcamp.com/album/interzone
The Interzone series of tracks on the album were composed with voice, field recordings and archive materials by Nichola Scrutton in her studio, then mixed and mastered by Jim McEwan of Bark Bark Dog Studios. The second second series of voice tracks were recorded live in Solas Sound Studios by Jim McEwan, and then mixed and mastered by Jim at Bark Bark Dog Studios.
Cover art: Nichola Scrutton
Interzone has been supported by the PRS Foundation Open Fund for Music Creators, Creative Scotland and Nonclassical.
Residency 5th – 9th June 2023
Night Vision has several iterations underway through 2023, including an album, a performance and a film.
I’m working on the film with cinematographer Kirstin McMahon, and the Tramway residency is a space to explore additional visual/sound materials.
Team for Residency
Director: Nichola Scrutton
Cinematographer: Kirstin McMahon
Technical / SM: Jack Wrigley
Production Manager: Nick Millar
Producer: Nichola Scrutton
Additional thanks to performers – Alison Peebles, Ian Spink, Louise Montgomery, Nerea Bello, Belle Jones, to stand-in Deen Fredericks, and to Stevie Jones for sound recording experiments.
Many thanks to Tramway for supporting Night Vision, and to the super-helpful crew.
Main image: Nichola Scrutton © Julie Broadfoot
Delighted to be a guest artist at GLE4M Festival at Queen Margaret Union, University of Glasgow – Ali Robertson joined me for a duo improvisation in the evening event on 25th May 2023.
“GLE4M 2023 returns with two days of concerts and specially-curated listening spaces in and around the Queen Margaret Union, University of Glasgow. The festival is a collaboration between the 4M netlabel and The Dear Green Bothy, which focusses on environmentally-conscious arts practices working at the intersection of technology and sustainability.”
Read more at: https://deargreenbothy.gla.ac.uk/event/gle4m-sustainability-resilience-stability/
A second performance of Night Vision at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) Glasgow on Sat 20th May at 3 pm.
Read more at the GoMA Blog
Vocal Performers: Alison Peebles, Louise Montgomery, Ian Spink, Nerea Bello, Belle Jones.
Director/conductor: Nichola Scrutton
Live Sound: Stevie Jones
Outside Eye: Nicholas Bone
Producer: Nichola Scrutton
Many thanks to Curator/Producer Katie Bruce, and GOMA
Night Vision is supported by Creative Scotland and Glasgow Life-Glasgow Museums
MAIN IMAGE: pre-performance of Night Vision at GoMA, 20th May 2023 Photo. © Julie Broadfoot
The Night Vision album is now available to buy on Bandcamp in both limited edition CD and digital formats.
https://nicholascrutton.bandcamp.com/album/night-vision
Night Vision is a project I’m working on through 2023, and it has several iterations. At the core of Night Vision is a large body of text written in the middle of the night lying down in a semi-conscious state over a two-year period – a very different approach for me as a composer and artist.
On the album, excerpts are performed by five vocalists in chronological order, set in a soundscape I composed with ensemble voices and my own voice/studio recordings.
Vocal performers on the release are:
Alison Peebles, Louise Montgomery, Nalini Chetty, Ian Spink and Mairi Morrison.
The live voices were recorded by Jim McEwan at Solas Sound Studios. All tracks were mixed and mastered by Jim McEwan at Bark Bark Dog Studios.
Many thanks to Sarah Praill for the cover design, which includes a few drawings/marks from the original journals.
Night Vision is supported by Creative Scotland.
The world premiere of Night Vision was at the CCA Glasgow in the main theatre on Friday 28th April 2023.
Details of the event are listed at:
https://www.cca-glasgow.com/programme/night-vision
Night Vision is a contemplative, dynamic, ensemble performance – a vocal sound work that crosses territory between concert, theatre, live art, visual art.
Night Vision live is one of various iterations of the work being produced in 2023. This CCA performance was filmed live, with cinematographer Kirstin McMahon and a roving camera part of the performance.
Vocal Performers: Alison Peebles, Louise Montgomery, Ian Spink, Nerea Bello, Belle Jones.
Director/conductor: Nichola Scrutton
Cinematographer: Kirstin McMahon
Outside Eye: Nicholas Bone
Producer: Nichola Scrutton
Many thanks to all at the CCA.
Many thanks to Creative Scotland, and to everyone who has supported Night Vision.
Lying Over Under Another is a collaborative sound performance with Zoë Strachan.
We were absolutely delighted to have been selected for a Second Life Award by the Edwin Morgan Trust to research, develop and produce the work through 2023. https://edwinmorgantrust.com/2022/10/14/nichola-scrutton-and-zoe-strachan-lying-over-under-another/
Responding to the visual richness of Edwin Morgan’s scrapbooks, held in Archives and Special Collections, we reimagine the scrapbooking and research process through sound and gesture. This improvised performance combines recorded and live sound with spoken word to re-present the diverse materials Morgan collected as bodies (entities) in relation to each other; offering new connections that may be physical, emotional, psychical. Elements of verbal disintegration and moments of absurdity and humour echo Morgan’s own poetic practice and its rootedness in the city of Glasgow.
Supported by the Edwin Morgan Trust through The Second Life Award.
Image © Nichola Scrutton
New Worlds is a spoken word / sound composition created with writer Martin O’Connor in Autumn 2022. The piece weaves together recordings from Your Voice in Greenock, Inverclyde, Martin’s poems, field and other recordings.
Read more about the project and listen to New Worlds at: http://www.martinoconnor.info/new-worlds.html
Absolutely thrilled to receive an award from the Creative Scotland Open Fund to produce my Night Vision project in 2023. I’ll be sharing various updates along the way. Sign up for updates at Newsletter
Many thanks to everyone who’s supported the development of Night Vision.
Really delighted to have been selected for a Second Life Award with Zoë Strachan – thank you so much to the Edwin Morgan Trust for such a fantastic opportunity to develop our collaborative practice and make new work! More info to follow…
Read more about the selected projects at: https://edwinmorgantrust.com/the-second-life-awards-2023/
In case it’s of interest, sign up for updates at Newsletter …
COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills – University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
Dream Stream was commissioned by Radio Art Zone as part of their 100-day programme inviting 100 artists to create 22-hour long radio works for European Capital of Culture at Esch 2022, Luxembourg. https://radioart.zone
Dream Stream weaves together field recordings, voice, fragments of text, visualisations, stories, performance and archive materials in a sonic contemplation of inner / outer landscapes. The sound of water is a thread across the whole duration. From that constantly shifting ‘surface’, various other sound worlds emerge and recede in a transient dream-like encounter.
In case it’s of interest, I have a Mailing List for occasional news updates – Join Mailing List
Many thanks indeed to Sarah, Knut and all at Radio Art Zone.
Artwork © Nichola Scrutton
I’m thrilled to say that I have been awarded Creative Scotland funding for the Night Vision project over 2022-23.
As part of a general website overhaul, I have temporarily removed background information, credits and plans for Night Vision so I can update all the details.
In the meantime, I’ll be posting news about select performances and a recording, to be released first on Bandcamp in early April and then across all music platforms on 28th April so please do connect / follow for updates. Many thanks.
Many thanks indeed to everyone who has supported Night Vision.
Zoë Strachan and I had a two-week residency at Glasgow Project Room in April/May 2022.
In our residency we were engaging in a process of ‘test-pitting’ to develop new work around themes of excavation as a means of opening an aperture onto fragile lines of connection between inner and outer landscapes. We shared some work-in-progress at the end of the residency in a public event that included a performance and a Q+A chat.
In archaeology a test-pit is a trial, a delving in to reveal layers, fragments of artefacts, the potential of a site of enquiry. It enables a snapshot of composition and decomposition, of life cycle and decay in the earth. Grids and tracing map the process.
Zoë and I have an ongoing collaboration making sound art works and experimental radio combining newly written and found text, composed sound, field recordings, found sound, voice and improvisation.
More information and Scottish tour dates for summer 2022 at Company of Wolves website.
Director – Ewan Downie
Associate Director – Brian Ferguson
Set and Costume Designer – Alisa Kalyanova
Lighting Designer – Benny Goodman
Sound Designer – Nichola Scrutton
Cast – Lawrence Boothman, Esme Baylay, Oat Jenner, Belle Jones, Megan Lovat
Technical Stage Manager – Stephen Cunningham
Wardrobe supervisor and Costume-maker – Catherine Barthram
Producer – Corinne Salisbury
Production Manager – Elleanor Taylor
In collaboration with Radiophrenia and the Goethe Institut Glasgow ‘Mobile Radiophrenia’ is a cultural exchange and radio residency that will result in five new live broadcast works. The artist duo Mobile Radio (Sarah Washington & Knut Aufermann) from Ürzig in Germany have been invited over to work with five Glasgow based artists or artist duos on an intensive daily collaboration that culminates in a live radio performance at 5pm each day.
I’m delighted to be performing on Thursday 17th Feb – the performances have been devised within the following framework:
Mobile Radio residency – Glasgow Calling Scale live with Nichola Scrutton – 17 February 2022 5:00 pm – 5:30 pm
‘Glasgow Calling Scale: a verbal response series in five parts’
There are five grades starting with the most musical:
Mon 14th Feb – No verbal response
Eothen Stearn, Lady Neptune, Knut Aufermann, Sarah Washington.
Tues 15th Feb – Incomprehensible sounds
Elina Bry, Knut Aufermann, Sarah Washington.
Weds 16th Feb – Inappropriate words
Cindy Islam, Knut Aufermann, Sarah Washington.
Thurs 17th Feb – Confused
Nichola Scrutton, Knut Aufermann, Sarah Washington.
Fri 18th Feb – Oriented
Rebecca Wilcox, Hannah Ellul, Knut Aufermann, Sarah Washington.
In another strand of research that emerged during Night Vision R&D in 2021, I curated a series of micro-commissions. I created a series of abstract images, photographing fragments of drawings. Those images served as a prompt, a connecting point, a spring board for dialogue.
Under the umbrella title, Memory Dream Encounter, I invited composers/artists Ruth Wiesenfeld, Elisabetta Senesi, Dafna Naphtali, Julia Drouhin and Claire Docherty to create miniature sound compositions in response to the prompts. On 31st August 2021, the six composers met in a virtual gathering to listen together, and discuss the creative process.
Radiophrenia 2022
Subsequently I edited the works into a programme that was broadcast on Radiophrenia at 9pm on 13th February 2022.
The programme in order was:
Claire Docherty – Pulse dream fragment For Una MacGlone (bass) & Emma Roche (flute) (3’23)
Dafna Naphtali- Striations (3′)
Elisabetta Senesi – Under the Surface (3’50)
Julia Drouhin – Mer4 (3’50)
Nichola Scrutton – Gestures (3’44)
Ruth Wiesenfeld – the wool from which the ribbons were made (3’54)
The micro-commissons were supported by Creative Scotland.
Zoë Strachan and I first performed Salt Cellar as a live-to-air broadcast on Radiophrenia, 11th February 2022, in the Creative Lab at the CCA Glasgow.
What is a prompt? It’s an inciting, a bringing forth, an augury, an urge, a bringing to light. In this live to broadcast performance, Nichola Scrutton and Zoë Strachan employ a cootie catcher (also known as a salt cellar) to provoke a series of discreet but interlinked improvisations based on texts, photographs and physical objects. Thus they seek to enact an archaeology of embodied memory within the palimpsest of a time-limited performance space.
Zoë and I collaborate to make sound art/experimental radio combining newly written and found text, composed sound, field recordings, found sound, voice and improvisation.
Two of my sketchbook drawings have joined the Berlin-based Fleeting Archive at Towards Sound. Many thanks to Ruth Wiesenfeld.
More information: http://www.towardssound.org/