Cosmic art collaboration set to be showcased at John Brown Memorial Lecture
Published: 17 December 2025
A pioneering fusion of nuclear physics and audiovisual art is set to be showcased during a public event at the University of Glasgow next month.
A pioneering fusion of nuclear physics and audiovisual art is set to be showcased during a public event at the University of Glasgow next month.
The Royal Astronomical Society and the University of Glasgow’s third annual John Brown Memorial Lecture, named in honour of the former Astronomer Royal for Scotland, will be held on Friday 16th January.
This year’s lecture will be presented by Dr David Mahon of the University of Glasgow’s School of Physics & Astronomy and Lomond Campbell, an award-winning artist and musician.
Together, they conceived the Muonophone, a unique audiovisual musical instrument which builds on Dr Mahon’s research into the science of muons – harmless cosmic rays which constantly shower the Earth from space.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-kqc0sXulc
Dr Mahon has developed a groundbreaking imaging technique method called muography which can see inside materials. It which creates detailed 3D images of the interiors of structures by measuring the deflection of muons as they pass through the materials, enabling insights which are impossible using more conventional imaging techniques like X-rays.
Lynkeos Technology Ltd, a startup spun out of the University in 2016, recently won the Business Innovation Award from the Institute of Physics in recognition of their efforts to commercialise technology based on Dr Mahon’s research.
The key component of Muonophone, designed and built by Lomond Campbell, is a muon detector based on Dr Mahon’s research. The detector picks up on the presence of the muons as they pass through it and those detections to trigger pre-prepared sounds and visualisations to create a unique performance.
The lecture follows the successful initial run of a series of performances called MŮO at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The events showcased both live musical performances where Campbell played keyboards along with the output of the Muonophone, and installations where the Muonophone played its own visuals and soundscapes in response to the random detection of muons.
The lecture will cover both the science of muography and the collaboration behind the Muonophone.
Dr Mahon said: “I’m honoured to be presenting this year’s John Brown Memorial Lecture with Lomond to discuss our collaboration at the intersection of science and art. We were delighted by the critical and audience reaction to the MŮO performances at the Fringe and I’m looking forward to discussing our work for this audience.”
Lomond Campbell said: “It’s exciting to bring the Muonophone to Glasgow after the sell out success of our Fringe show MŮO in August. The John Brown Memorial Lecture will be a great opportunity to hear David expand on the science of muons and muography and to hear the Muonophone in action.“
The John Brown Memorial Lectures are named in honour of Professor John Brown, the former Astronomer Royal for Scotland and Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of Glasgow who passed away in 2019.
The lecture will be held at the University of Glasgow’s Wolfson Medical School between 5pm and 8pm on Friday 16th January. To book free tickets for the lecure on Eventbrite, click here.
First published: 17 December 2025