ra v i s h i n g the s ens es
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“Cryptic has a really distinctive vision, ambition and courage that is all their own in everything they do – they are a very special, unique presence in our national arts landscape.” Anthony Sargent CBE, FRSA General Director, Sage Gateshead
Cryptic is a Glasgow based internationally-renowned producing art house, presenting today’s most imaginative, innovative artists whilst also nurturing the creative talent of tomorrow. We create memorable experiences that engage and inspire our audiences. Cryptic ‘ravishes the senses’ with performances that fuse music, sonic art and multi-media.
ravishing
Founded by Cathie Boyd in 1994, the company has thrived on artistic innovation and creative risk-taking, which has subsequently created an environment where artists have been encouraged to push artistic boundaries.
the senses
To date, Cryptic has presented 91 productions (including 28 world premières), which have been seen in 25 countries to an audience of more than 80,000. In 2015, Cryptic celebrates 21 years of ‘ravishing the senses.’
“sensuous, imaginative and sumptuously visual, an extraordinary and innovative company.” The Times
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C R Y P T I C A S S O C I AT E S Current Cryptic Associates are Josh Armstrong, Kathy Hinde, Mark Lyken, Robbie Thomson and Sven Werner. Cryptic Associates was established in 2011 to nurture and develop the next generation of artists. Associates work across artfoms to create work that has sound and/or music at its heart. Cryptic acts as a mentor, producer and promoter for a number of selected Associates giving them space and time to develop their creative and artistic practice. Utilising the wealth of Cryptic’s experience and expertise, this programme provides professional, artistic and practical support to help artists explore and excel.
Josh Armstrong Associate Director Armstrong was born in Cleveland, Ohio and moved to Scotland in 2006. He studied Experimental Theatre at New York University and Contemporary Performance Practice at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Armstrong became the first Cryptic Associate in 2011. Armstrong has worked with Cryptic since 2009 and his work has been presented at Tramway, St Magnus Festival, Opera North, Leeds, Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh & Espoo Festival, Finland. Most recently The Little Match Girl Passion toured the east coast of Australia, in collaboration with The Song Company, Sydney. “Armstrong’s real skill is in ratcheting up tension between movement and extreme stillness.” The Guardian
C R Y P T I C A S S O C I AT E S
Cryptic Commissions include: 02
these delicate things _ 01 A multi-disciplinary performance in two acts, inspired by the life and work of the extraordinary photographer, Francesca Woodman, featuring Dmitri Shostakovich’s rarely heard String Quartet No 5 and Gavin Bryars’ String Quartet No 2. “slow-moving singing, and simmering landscapes of sound, thoughtfully mirrored in visual imagery.” The Scotsman
Little Match Girl Passion _ 02 David Lang’s Pulitzer prize-winning The Little Match Girl Passion combines Hans Christian Anderson’s heart-breaking tale with JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion. The tragic story of the Little Match Girl is brought to life in this semi-staged performance. “Deeply felt, powerfully realized… a performance of musical skill and integrity.” Limelight Magazine “Delicate, fragile and minimalist” Sydney Morning Herald
sensual “Cryptic’s work is risky but always delivered with total integrity, and a commitment to the highest standards, nurturing talent in new and unexpected ways.” Jonathan Reekie CBE, Director, Somerset House Trust 01
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C R Y P T I C A S S O C I AT E S
Mark Lyken Lyken is a composer and visual artist based in Glasgow, who creates sound works, film, paintings and installations. His work is inspired by the relationship between nature and technology and his collaborations with artists and scientists, have led to environmental and field recordings becoming an important part of his sonic palette.
Cryptic Commissions for Sonica include:
The Terrestrial Sea A responsive audio visual installation exploring the parallels between the effects of sound and light on marine mammals and human senses at the Cromarty Lighthouse, Scotland. Lyken and awardwinning film maker Emma Dove, have created a beautiful live audio visual performance for screen, which was premièred at Festival Multiplicidade, Brazil in November 2014.
C R Y P T I C A S S O C I AT E S
Kathy Hinde Oscillon Response Mark Lyken interprets the forefather of Electronic Art, Ben F Laposky’s pioneering ‘Oscillon’ Electronic Abstractions. Working in collaboration with Sanford Museum, Iowa this unique work for concert performance merges Lyken’s sonic responses with real time visuals.
Hinde’s interdisciplinary approach combines different artforms through collaborations with artists and scientists, with input from the audience. She has made work across Europe for concert halls, theatres, and galleries alongside site-specific outdoor locations and unusual indoor spaces.
innovative
Piano Migrations “a resonating sound object – a fugue of interwoven sound objects.” The Wire
The inside of an old upright piano, rescued from destruction, is transformed into a kinetic sound sculpture. Video projections move across its surface, triggering small machines to flutter and twitch emulating the movements of birds skittering across its surface. Piano Migrations was listed for the Aesthetica Art Prize 2014.
Cryptic Commissions for Sonica include:
Tipping Point Music merges with machinery and natural stimuli to create stunning sound and visual aesthetics. Tipping Point grows from a partnership between nature and technology and invites us to consider our relationship with water and the necessity of balancing how we use the world’s natural resources.
“creating art evocative of something galactic.”
roomsmagazine.com
“absolutely mesmerizing.” artsdesk.com
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C R Y P T I C A S S O C I AT E S
C R Y P T I C A S S O C I AT E S
Robbie Thomson
Sven Werner
Originally from the North East of Scotland, Thomson studied at Glasgow School of Art. His work incorporates sculpture, music and technology that investigates the interplay of technology with human situations and the natural world. His work has been shown at CCA, The Whisky Bond, The Arches, Tramway and Transmission, Glasgow, The Woodmill, London and Festival De Kreuze, Netherlands.
Sven Werner was born in Brussels and grew up in Luxembourg. Werner graduated from the National Film School of Ireland in 2006 and since 2008 he has lived and worked in both Berlin and Glasgow. Werner’s background as a filmmaker has a significant influence upon his work. His recent immersive visual sound installations create atmospheric film scenes that use miniature models to introduce audiences to his poetic, magical worlds.
Cryptic Commissions for Sonica include:
Cryptic Commissions for Sonica include:
Ecstatic Arc Seductive in its raw beauty, Thomson’s kinetic performance work comes to life in a machine-powered, theatrical installation created using found objects, recording devices and a caged tesla coil. “a whirring, jerking robotic ballet” The Guardian
Hypothetical Landscape A kinetic/sonic installation that imagines a disorientating futuristic landscape, populated by robotic inhabitants. The work is inspired by the monumental interventions humans have made on the planet, creating manufactured landscapes that exist outwith geological time.
dynamic
Tales of Magical Realism, Parts I, II & III Taking his feature film Oculista as core inspiration, Werner has developed Tales of Magical Realism, an immersive artistic experience in three parts, which allows the audience to enter his world of magical realism and experience its richly atmospheric cinematic journey from within. “A delicate yet robust piece, it combines promenade theatre with film, fictional narrative, cycling and the Victorian peepshow.” Sunday Herald
Homecoming : Station Stories
Escaping from the hectic modern station concourse, 21st century travellers are transported into a series of cinematic worlds in miniature. Donning headphones and peeping into a Victorian peepshow viewer, audience members embark on a journey speeding through the winter countryside. ”Soothing… genuinely immersive.” The Times
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SONICA HIGHLIGHTS
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sonic art for the visually minded
A unique programme of events dedicated to world-class sonic arts, presenting emerging British talent alongside exceptional international artists in collaboration with renowned co-producers and venues. Sonica also gives a UK platform to performances of extraordinary and rarely-seen work.
imaginative
“If you want to experience the thrilling interface where music, visual art, theatre and digital technology meet, hasten to Glasgow, where the sparky new Sonica has taken over the city.” The Times 03
“This is the future of contemporary music.” artsdesk.com
Highlights Claudia Molitor - Remember Me _ 01(04) “an exquisitely beautiful, fragile work” The Scotsman
Collective 331/3 – Bluebeard _ 02 “Visually mesmerizing” The Scotsman
Janek Schaefer – Extended Play _ 03 “Haunting, elegiac and beautiful” The Times
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daring
unique 10 / 11
SONICA HIGHLIGHTS
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Robin Fox – Laser Show _ 01 Sonica 2012 Artist-in-Residence “a synaesthetic laser experience” Gramophone
Justè Janulytè – Sandglasses _ 02 “a compelling, almost hallucinogenic, theatrical experience.” The Scotsman
Jeroen Strijbos, Rob van Rijswijk, Pierluigi Pompeï - Whispers _ 03 03
innovative
“The slender forms light up in the dark, giving a magical image of the interwoven horns that whisper piercingly to the viewer” EWM, Shanghai
“I have been impressed by Cryptic’s daring, its hunger for innovation and passion for the highest quality of collaborations.” Gillian Moore MBE, Head of Classical Music, Southbank Centre
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CRYPTIC NIGHTS
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Recognising the need for a regular, supportive platform for emerging Scottish based artists with fresh ideas, Cryptic launched Cryptic Nights in 2009 and have to date, presented over 215 artists in partnership with the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow. Crossing creative boundaries with live music, visual and sonic art, film and new media, Cryptic Nights presents a selection of the highest quality emerging talent to inspire, invigorate and excite audiences.
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Highlights have included:
Anna Meredith – Nautilus (première) _ 01 “Thundering, post-industrial electronics.” The Wire
Raydale Dower – (……..) _ 02 “This is Stockhausen meets Samuel Beckett, possibly uptown.” The List
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New Media Scotland – Alt-win.ning _ 03 Cryptic collaborated with New Media Scotland in presenting the Alt-W Awards.
Oliver Coates – World to Come _ 04 “Think Sonic Youth and their guitars.” The Guardian and James Houston, Mark Lyken, Rachel MacLean, Rory Middleton, Yann Seznec, Gail Sneddon and Robbie Thomson. 04
provocative
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these delicate things
Sound to Sea
“the music allies itself to a slowpaced visual reverie that catches at the nature of transience.” The Herald
“A feast of fine moments.” The Herald
CRYPTIC HIGHLIGHTS
challenging CRYPTIC HIGHLIGHTS Parallel Lines
Black Over Red
Each...and Every Inch
“brilliant, joyous, wonderful” Süddeutsche Zeitung
“the music theatre spectacle of the year.” The Times
“a bewitching production.” La Presse, Montreal
Apocalypse
1994 — 2015
“Visually captivating and aurally stunning.” Irish Times
Sound to Sea “A feast of fine moments.” The Herald
“I admire the company’s award winning and world class internationalism.” Dame Seona Reid DBE
sumptuous
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The past 20 years would not have been possible without the invaluable support of: Alliance Française de Glasgow Alma and Leslie Wolfson Charitable Trust Arts & Business Scotland Arts & Humantities Research Council Arup Australia Council for the Arts British Council Britten-Pears Foundation Caorunn Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow Cove Park Creative Scotland Elf Exploration Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Glasgow City Council Glasgow Science Centre Goethe Institute Institut Français Ludometrics New Media Scotland Prohelvetia PRS for Music Foundation Royal Navy RVW Trust Scottish Enterprise The Craignish Trust The Government of Quebec The Hugh Fraser Foundation The Leche Trust The Robertson Trust Tramway, Glasgow and our many supporters
Optical Identity “A wonderful platform for the talents of the T’ang Quartet and the stylish visual aesthetic of Cryptic.” The Daily Telegraph
Cryptic CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street Glasgow G2 3JD T: +44 (0)141 354 0544 E: admin@cryptic.org.uk Skype: cryptic Glasgow www.cryptic.org.uk
“A dizzyingly visual ecstasy.” New York Times
Photographs by Kotryna Uli Kiliulyte, Renzo Mazzolini, Eamonn McGoldrick, Tamara Polajnar, Tommy Ga-Ken Wan, Zeno Watson, Alex Woodward