5 More To See at Sonica
From Scottish and Serbian folk traditions to AI fairies and interactive birds, Sonica 2026 brings together a wildly diverse range of sonic and visual experiences
Inspired by composer Martin Green’s fascination with the links between folk music styles across the globe, he brings together Scotland and Serbia for Folding Songs (Tramway, Friday 25 September) while Charles Hazlewood conducts Paraorchestra in Music For 18 Musicians (Tramway, Saturday 3 October), paying tribute to Steve Reich, the pioneer of minimalism who reaches the ripe old age of 90 in October.
Unique visual artist Rachel Maclean and audiovisual composer maestro Ela Orleans collaborate for They’ve Got Your Eyes (Buchanan Galleries, Saturday 12 September–Sunday 25 October). An interrogation of AI, it features a Victorian tech bro who creates fairies to fulfil his every whim.
Shanghai-born musician and artist Ban Lei has created 153 Returning Birds (Pollok House, Thursday 24 September–Sunday 4 October), an idea which came to him while hearing the sound made by the wind and some avian creatures during a visit to a Swiss castle. Three sets of birds sculpted from bellows and whistles hang from the ceiling with the audience encouraged to ‘play them’.
A strong multi-act bill at The Glad Cafe, Sunday 27 September brings together Latvian producer/DJ Raivo Sloan, a film about Britain’s waterways by Moira Salt accompanied with live music by Tommy Perman and Andrew Wasylyk, plus Filipino music producer and multimedia artist Jett Ilagan (aka escuri) with a hybrid of performance and light installation.
Sonica, various venues, Glasgow, Thursday 24 September–Sunday 4 October; picture: Sandy Butler.