Glass artist and musician Alison Kinnaird has won the 2004 Glass Sellers’ Award for her unique and innovative artwork, Psalmsong, which fuses music with glass.

She was presented with the award last night at the annual banquet of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers in London.

Psalmsong, which is inspired by Gaelic psalms, is 3.1 metres long and comprises 24 panels of glass engraved with figurative images shot through with light and colour. 

It recently went on display at a newly refurbished entrance to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and will return to Edinburgh next year when it will be on permanent display in the new Scottish Parliament building.

Walter Zuber, co-ordinator for the Glass Sellers awards, said “She is driving forward the art, adding unique music to make an outstanding piece.”

The artwork came about through a Creative Scotland Award which was awarded to Alison by the Scottish Arts Council in 2002 and which allowed her to explore ways to integrate her music and glass engraving.

Alison, who lives in Midlothian, studied glass engraving with Harold Gordon and Helen Munro Turner and is an internationally recognised glass artist.  Her contribution to art and music was acknowledged in 1997 when she was awarded an MBE.

Find out more about Psalmsong and how Alison fused her two passions to create it in our feature.