Sonica Festival 2024 has opened with a bang at venues all across the city.

Pictures from the international AV art and music festival’s opening day include Glasgow artist Konx-om-Pax (aka Tom Scholefield) with his jaw-dropping new AV work on the IMAX big screen; Dundee-based Egyptian artist Ahmed El Shaer with his new VR work for Glasgow City Chambers ornate marble staircase; Cryptic’s Artistic Director Cathie Boyd at Glasgow’s historic Mercat Cross-house, a venue usually closed to the public; Belgian artist Floris Vanhoof with his grand piano installation Antenna, which harnesses the electromagnetic waves of the city to play the keys; Lukas Truniger with his multiple light installation Disruptive Intelligence and composer Lara Jones with Zen: A Space For Peace, a pop-up relaxation dome for weary shoppers in the heart of St Enoch Centre.

Cryptic’s founding Artistic Director Cathie Boyd said:

“Sonica 2024 is the culmination of our celebration of an incredible 30 years of Cryptic, which began life in Glasgow in 1994. It showcases everything that Cryptic has gone on to become known for: bringing cutting-edge, internationally-renowned artists to Scottish audiences and giving an ambitious platform for Scottish artists to stand alongside them. I am particularly pleased to be premiering new work from both international and Scottish artists developed during a Cryptic residency at Cove Park in Argyll in Spring 2024. We bought together Laura Mannelli from Luxembourg, Alba G. Corral from Spain, Kseniia Shcherbakova from Ukraine, No Plexus from the Netherlands and Heft from Myanmar to live, work and converse alongside Scotland-based artists Sonia Killmann, SHHE, Harry Gorski-Brown, Konx om Pax and Alex Smoke and we’re thrilled that Sonica will give the first outing to new work developed during these unique collaborations."

Glasgow Life Director of Culture, Tourism and Events, Billy Garrett, said:

“The programme for this year’s Sonica is incredibly impressive; it’s innovative, eclectic, and exciting. Designed to appeal to a diverse range of audiences, the festival showcases the works of a dynamic array of world-class music and audio-visual producers, and features an amazing line-up of home-grown and international talent. “Offering a wealth of unmissable multimedia performances and unique collaborations, Sonica promises to be a unique, unforgettable highlight of Glasgow’s 2024 cultural calendar, and the city is looking forward to welcoming performers involved and audiences from near and far.”