Running from Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 October, Audiograft 2026 takes over The Nest on Little Clarendon Street for three evenings of experimental sound and live performance.
When: 22–24 October 2026, 7–10 pm each evening
Where: The Nest, 33–35 Little Clarendon Street, Oxford
This year’s programme promises an adventurous mix of installations, unusual instruments and boundary-pushing performances.
Opening on Thursday 22 October, the festival features an installation combining an eight-metre loom with fungal biosonification, exploring the intersection of sound, material and living systems.
On Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October, audiences can experience a diverse programme spanning art-core no-wave, guttural vocal experimentation, instruments made from native UK tree branches and virtuosic performances on the sheng, a traditional Chinese mouth organ.
At the heart of Audiograft is the Sonic Art Research Unit (SARU) at Oxford Brookes University, which curates the festival as an extension of its research into experimental sound and creative practice.
Led by researchers and practitioners, including Professor Paul Whitty and Dr Patrick Farmer, SARU explores new approaches to sound through artistic experimentation, performance and collaboration. Audiograft offers an opportunity to take this work beyond the university, connecting emerging ideas in sonic art with audiences across Oxford. The audiograft programme has been curated by OCM, artist Kate Mahony, and Patrick Farmer with the SARU.
Co-promoted with community partners including Oxford Contemporary Music (OCM), the festival creates a meeting point for academic research, artistic innovation and public engagement, transforming familiar spaces into places of discovery.
Explore the programme and festival archives at audiograft.org.