Arusa Qureshi talks Niroshini Thambar about her artistic practice
When it comes to the field of music and sound design, it’s common for creative practitioners to work beyond conventional boundaries, using their craft to create immersive experiences, participatory projects, and inclusive spaces for expression. Niroshini Thambar, a musician, composer, and sound designer, is one such artist whose practice spans a variety of disciplines including theatre, film, audiovisual installations, and participatory work. With a passion for both ecology and identity, Thambar’s work transcends traditional performance spaces, allowing her to work with a range of communities and individuals.
“My practice is a mix,” Thambar explains. “I do a lot of composition and sound design for theatre, but also for participatory projects, small film projects, and I have also created a few audiovisual installations in the past. I play violin and piano, but I also work a lot in the studio and with electronics.”
Through a varied approach to her skills and practice, Thambar has been able to explore different sonic landscapes and push her creativity to unexpected domains. Beyond technical skill though, her work is deeply rooted in human connection, identity, and the natural world, which she has been able to explore further by working with IAP on a number of projects.
Thambar’s involvement with IAP began with Niqabi Ninja, an audio drama by Sara Shaarawi developed during the pandemic. “I was Associate Director on that, alongside the Director, Catrin Evans,” she recalls. “Originally, it was supposed to be an in-person experience, but it was adapted into an audio piece with a promenade element.”
Since then, she has worked on IAP projects like Zoë Bullock’s Shō and the Demons of the Deep, a touring production in association with National Theatre of Scotland, as well as the Sensory Collective, where she was able to develop her own practice while also focusing on participatory work for people who might not have access to mainstream art experiences. Through the collective, Thambar led workshops with people living with dementia, explored movement and sound with diverse communities, and worked one-on-one with individuals who experienced barriers to participation.
“It was about creating an accessible space for people,” she says, “and finding ways to co-create with them, and ways for them to connect and actually take control of music and sound making.”
For Thambar, accessibility and equity in the arts are driving forces. “If you’re a creative person who has benefited from artistic experiences, you understand that it’s a fundamental human need to connect through art,” she says. “Article 27 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to participate in the cultural life of their community. Especially disabled members of our society – society isn’t necessarily always set up for them to be able to participate on a level playing field with everyone.”
Thambar highlights the importance of creating artistic opportunities for disabled individuals, noting that systemic barriers often prevent equal participation. “It’s about widening opportunities, ensuring that people can engage with artistic experiences in ways that suit them.”
Through her work delivering individual music sessions, Thambar has learned that meaningful creative experiences cannot be forced. “You have to set the conditions,” she explains. “When people are relaxed and comfortable, and if they have the right tools – whether within their bodies, via technology, or another instrument – music will start to flow.”
Patience and relationship-building are key. “It takes time. You can’t just parachute in and expect immediate results. It’s about trust, understanding, and allowing space for creative expression. Sometimes, the simplest things – like using your voice – can be the most powerful.”
Thambar’s work emphasises the importance of bringing art to individuals rather than expecting them to navigate systemic obstacles to access it. “Not everyone can get to a theatre or a venue. If someone is a wheelchair user, something as simple as a lack of parking or a curb can be a major barrier and whilst steps should be taken to remove barriers, in other circumstances sometimes bringing the work to someone in their own home, where they’ve got all the additional support within that environment, may be a better option. It might be the most relaxing environment for them.”
Beyond participatory work, Thambar continues to develop her own artistic practice, integrating elements of sound walking, field recording, and ecological themes. “I recently had a bursary with IAP that allowed me to explore my interests in ecology and identity,” she shares. “I also was able to participate in a couple of really good experiences. First, I went on a fiddle retreat with Mairi Campbell on the Isle of Lismore, which was amazing. And then I also went on another residency in nature with other musicians.
“So I’ve been able to participate in certain events that have allowed me to explore my instrumental playing, but also writing music and connecting with nature. Then I’ve had time on my own in my studio setup, and I’ve been able to go and do some sound recording.”
Thambar has also been working with playwright and theatre-maker Lewis Hetherington to explore the creation and use of text, specifically thinking about connection to landscape and nature. “We were able to spend time working together in outdoor spaces, and using writing exercises that Lewis brought, to help develop a poetic writing practice that I could bring into a live music and sound practice.”
A highlight of the bursary period was a three-day residency that Thambar undertook with Lewis, sound designer/guitarist Nik Paget-Tomlinson, and cellist/musical saw player Louise Martin, where they were able to bring together the creative ideas and thinking developed as a result of the bursary.
“We used our instruments, voices, some of my creative writing, and worked with improvisation as well as some composition ideas that I have been playing around with,” Thambar explains. “The residency was a really nourishing, free and experimental space where we were inspired by the idea of connection through sound and music and switching off from our digital visual selves to be more present with each other and with wider nature. It was a really impactful experience for me to be leading this collaborative creative process and felt like an important step in my own artistic development. It has also made me even more convinced that making art, no matter how basic, or fully formed is an intrinsic part of the human experience.”
Through her work with the Sensory Collective, Thambar started one-on-one lessons with a person who might be labelled as having cerebral palsy, and as a result of the bursary, she has been able to continue this musical relationship. “It’s brilliant, actually,” she says, “and it’s been about creating a musical and sonic space that works for him, that is structured around the best way for him. It’s been about giving him the space to explore and create in the way that he wants. I’m hoping that the relationship doesn’t end, because it’s a joy to create with him, and one of his family members who’s also involved.”
Currently, Thambar is pursuing PhD research that ties composition to themes of global majority identity and ecology. “Ecology, identity and composition have been with me for many years,” she says. “It’s a thread that’s fed through a lot of my creative practice. Before I started working as a musician, I actually studied environmental sciences. So I intend, going forward, to create more work that directly connects with that and my identity as a global majority person in Scotland.”
As she continues on her journey, Thambar is sure that participatory work will remain central to her practice. “Some of the most nourishing work I’ve done has been participatory work,” she reflects. “I think the first participatory projects I did around music were probably about 20 years ago, if not more so I don’t see that changing. And in fact, I’m planning for there to be a participatory element in some of my upcoming research.”
Through her work in the world of music, Thambar continues to bridge the gaps between sound, identity, and accessibility, ensuring that creative expression remains a universal right rather than a privilege.
Arusa Qureshi is a writer, editor and music programmer based in Edinburgh. She is the current Editor of Fest and the former Editor of The List and writes mostly about music, most recently Flip the Script – a book about women in UK hip hop, published by 404 Ink. Her work has appeared in the Scotsman, Clash, the Guardian, GoldFlakePaint, Time Out, the Quietus, NME and more. She chairs the board of the Scottish Music Centre, sits on the board of the Music Venue Trust and is the co-curator of the award-winning Amplifi series at Edinburgh’s Queens Hall. arusaqureshi.com