Colin James Woods is an Irish-born freelance artist and sonic practitioner based in Belfast (N. Ireland). Colin was born in Belfast (N.Ireland) and moved to Aotearoa/New Zealand in 2002. He was previously guitarist with Irish punk band Music For the Deaf, and a participant in UK/Ireland-based Allotropes experimental collective. After spending 30 years working as a scientist in pathology laboratories, Colin went back to study, gaining a Diploma in Contemporary Music (from Unitec, Auckland), a BMus (Hons) in Composition from the University of Auckland, and a Master’s Degree in Creative Technology from AUT (Auckland). He returned to Belfast in 2023 and is currently working on his PhD project at Ulster University, where his research uses his practice to examine the notion of the artist as co-creator.
Colin is a SOUNZ-represented composer and a Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Science.
His interests include experimental music (both composed and improvised), site-specific installations, video, songwriting, performance, and composition for conventional solo instruments and ensembles. He has been a regular participant in the Auckland improv collective Vitamin S and is one-half of the duo Toy Triptech (with Rohan Evans, former owner of the iconic Wine Cellar venue). His work featured in his solo exhibition It’s for You at the Audio Foundation (Auckland) in November 2017.
One long-term project, Braid Gabs, explores the contemporary positioning of Ulster-Scots culture via structured video interviews (this project is currently paused due to focus on PhD work). Colin is also editing source material collected in Ireland during 2018/2019 to rework and extend his I Just Called a project, and continuing to compose and create sound and video works, including a new album of audio works, Dream Cathedral.