Jessica Argo
Jessica Argo
- Programme Leader, BDes Sound for Moving Image
- Job Title
- Programme Leader, BDes Sound for Moving Image
- School or Academic Area
- School of Innovation and Technology
- School or Academic Area Supervised for
- School of Innovation and Technology
- J.Argo@gsa.ac.uk
- Professional Address
- School of Innovation & Technology, The Glasgow School of Art, 65 West Regent Street, Glasgow G2 2AF
- Country
- Scotland, UK.
Biography
Dr. Jessica Argo composes for improvising ensembles and is an experimental filmmaker/sound artist, drawn to music for community world-building - improvisation to bridge international distance and sustain intergenerational learning; improvising for queer affirmation, deep listening, emotional expression, mood regulation and liberation from inequality oppression. Argo uses embodied synthesis (theremin, contact microphones, voice) to conjure alien sound, extended from her physical body or cello. She composed spatial audio for neuroscience research, installed film in white cube galleries, dance clubs.
Argo's work in collaborative creativity in musical improvisation, filmmaking, hybrid room-and-ZOOM orchestra theatre performance, composing for global orchestras, embedding EDI in creative education and musical performance on Glasgow’s radical history has had notable social, economic and cultural impact, nurturing a huge global network of intergenerational and diverse knowledges communities in celebrated venues: the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, the Museum of Old and New Arts, Tasmania, Soja Art House, Okayama Japan.
Research Interests
Spatial audio for neuroscience research, collaborative creativity in musical improvisation, filmmaking, large scale experimental theatre, composing for global orchestras, performance art, Equality Diversity and Inclusion in creative education, user testing, telematic music, intergenerational/diverse knowledges
Grants
Global Excellence Initiative Fund for PhD
Creative Scotland and Australian Government funded Australian Art Orchestra Creative Music Intensive in Tasmanian Highlands.
Creative Scotland for Tenementals Doors Open Day Performance
Glasgow School of Art COVID Response Projects
Glasgow School of Art Research Development Funding (multiple)
PGR Supervision Interests
Sound and neuroscience, musical improvisation, experimental film, radical film/documentary, sound art, deep listening, collaborative creativity, bio-sonification, immersive sound, synthesis, performance, community,
Former PGR Students
Rory Green, Master of Research. "Stochastic Genesis: Phenomenologies of Complex sound in modular synth environments"
Teaching
Dr. Jessica Argo is the Programme Leader for the BDes Sound for Moving Image course, in Glasgow School of Art's School of Innovation and Technology.
Subject specialisms:
UG:
- Critical Studies in Sound for Moving Image
- Studio 3 Sound and Video; Narrative/Abstract Forms
- SIT Elective: Sonic Worlds: Emotion in Sound and Experimental Film
- Year 4 Research Projects: Methodologies; Accessibility in Creative Practice/Writing; Presentations - communicating to diverse audiences; Physiological Monitoring for Creativity and Data Collection
PGT:
- Research in Sound and Film
- Sound Culture
Widening Participation, English Language Immersion classes, Equality Diversity and Inclusion working group;
Latest Additions
- Mittal, Surbhi, Argo, Jessica, MacGlone, Una and Sappho, Maria (2025) Resonant Networks: Feminist Improvisation across Sites, Identities and Technologies. Improfil (88). pp. 26-31. ISSN 1616-721X
- Argo, Jessica, Birse, Ian, Kavanaugh, Laura, Seki, Minori, Burke, Rob, Hall, Clare, Williamson, Paul, Kellett, Michael, Neto, Alipio C. and Ewart, Douglas R. (2025) GIOFest XVII: Evening Film Reel. Centre for Contemporary Art, Thursday November 20th, 2025
- Argo, Jessica, Seki, Minori, Robertson, David, Parfitt, Chris and Cooper, Constance (2025) Theatre Screening: "The Sound of the Light, the Light of the Sound: Wave-Particle, David", "Imaginary Friends", and "Impro Picnic (for Piano and Hands)". Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow, Thursday November 20th 2025
- Argo, Jessica, Birse, Ian, Kavanaugh, Laura, Gao, Yujie and Huang, Xiaoxuan (2025) "Change is the Only Constant" Exhibition text.
- Argo, Jessica, Seki, Minori, Kaneko, Yasuko, Burke, Rob, Hall, Clare, Willamson, Paul and Kellett, Michael (2024) GIOFest XVI GIO Global Film Screening. Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow, 28th November 2024
- Argo, Jessica (2024) GIOFest XVI GIO Global Mainstage Films - S L O W , Passport, Lines on the Floor. Centre for Contemporary Art, 28th November 2024-30th November 2024
- Argo, Jessica, Ma, Minhua and Kayser, Christoph (2014) Immersive Composition for Sensory Rehabilitation: 3D Visualisation, Surround Sound, and Synthesised Music to Provoke Catharsis and Healing. In: Serious Games Development and Applications. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 8778 . Springer International Publishing, pp. 134-149. ISBN 9783319116228
