CCA Highlights – November / December 2017

When we talk about finding our voice, it is to describe much more than words. And something of this idea runs through the exhibition Lilt, Twang, Tremor (Sat 18 Nov-Sun 14 Jan). It brings together three Scottish artists whose work examines how the voice shapes, and is shaped by, the world. For Hanna Tuulikki the voice is a meeting point, mediating ourselves and the environment; while for Sarah Rose it explores the nuance of prejudice in the subtleties of rumour, translation and inflection. Then there's Susannah Stark who homes in on the fate of language in our tech-driven and digital culture.

Meanwhile, Local art house Cryptic's biennial festival Sonica brings plenty of sounds and visuals to the autumn and winter programme.

Glasgow School of Art graduate Heather Lander is not only interested in the limit of our horizons but how virtual reality may expand them into the unreality of an imagined, rather than natural, world. Australian artist Lynette Wallworth uses VR to experience a time without technology. Collisions takes us to 1950s the Pilbara, one of Australia's remotest regions, to tell the story of Aboroginal elder Nyarri Morgan meeting technology for the first time. Norwegian artist Solveig Settemsdal brings Jerwood Drawing Prize-winning Singularity to Glasgow. The work demonstrates order arising from chaos. Musician Kathy Hinde complements the work with a score where abstract sounds evolve into a coherent soundtrack.

Remember the dog listening to the gramophone from the HMV logo? It turns out that terrier might have been onto something. Mexican artist Manuel Rocha Iturbide showcases Zzzzzzzzz, using the artistic apparatus of an old abandoned record player that emits occasional sounds. It seems 'His Master's Voice' might be alive rather than just there for our appreciation of music. Sentient technology is always thought of as futuristic, but maybe it has been conscious all along – or in this case – as the title suggests – having a good old snore.

For those who enjoy their music both alive and live, there are several ways to sample America's music scene. Brooklyn's indie rock four piece Big Thief (Mon 6 Nov, 7.30pm) are on the road with the release of second album Capacity. Adrianne Lenker's songwriting has advanced beyond even the quartet's debut... not bad given that this is the band who modestly named their earlier album Masterpiece. Memphis' Julien Baker (Wed 8 Nov, 7pm) has plenty of new music inspired by her sexuality and faith from assured new album Turn Out the Lights. And don't miss Protomartyr (Fri 17 Nov, 7pm) who power in from Detroit. Their latest album Relatives in Descent is a post-punk cry against injustice.

Political stirrings can also be found at the Havana Glasgow Film Festival (Thu 9 – Sun 12 Nov). Cuban film star Luis Alberto Garcia will present a couple of his classic films. He starred in 1987's Clandestinos, which is set in the years before the military coup. The plot revolves around a group of revolutionaries that set up a secret printing press to challenge the government.

Another movie to look out for comes from Glasgow indie filmmaker Hans Lucas. He's cut Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Gus Van Sant's 1998 remake into a single edit (Psycho/s, Fri 22 Dec, 7.30pm). The differences between each director's choices become evident and Lucas's edit may challenge any notion Van Sant's is a 'cover version' of the iconic original.