The award winning installation Psalmsong, by glass artist Alison Kinnaird, is now on permanent display in the Main Hall of the Scottish Parliament Building in Edinburgh.

Alison fused her two passions of music and glass to create this unique and innovative work.  Inspired by Gaelic psalms she composed a melody on harp, cello and glass which was then played into a computer at Edinburgh University which produced lissajous patterns derived from the sound waves.

These spirals were then combined with the human figure.   Colour was introduced to suggest emotional states by transmitting light using optical fibres through slips of dichroic glass under the panels.

Psalmsong, which is 3 metres long,  is composed of 24 overlapping panels with a digitally printed textile.  It was on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London for a year before returning to Scotland.  The work has now been purchased for the nation by the Scottish Parliament.

The installation was the result of a year’s work made possible by a Creative Scotland Award from the Scottish Arts Council in 2002, and the quality of the piece led to Alison winning the Glass Sellers’ Award 2004.  

Jamie Stone MSP, Chairman of the Art Group at the Scottish Parliament said ‘I believe that this inspirational artwork sends out the best message for the Scottish Parliament, in terms of its quality of craftsmanship, and the fact that it will appeal and be here for the people of Scotland, of all ages and from all walks of life, to enjoy when they visit Holyrood’.

Find out more about Psalmsong and Alison Kinnaird in our craftscotland feature.