pottery007 Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 (edited) If you could imagine pottery that generates calming sounds, what kind of sounds would you find most appealing (e.g., water flow, wind chimes, birdsong)? What materials do you think would be most effective in creating sound-generating elements in pottery (e.g., clay types, glazes, additional components)? Would you be more interested in pottery that produces a constant, ambient sound or one that generates sound when interacted with (e.g., by touch or movement)? Edited April 5 by pottery007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 You may find the book "Mud to Music" of help in your search. best, Pres pottery007 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottery007 Posted April 5 Author Report Share Posted April 5 Thanks Pres, I'll look into that right away. Pres 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 (edited) I do like water. A few years ago I tried for a fountain, driven by a small pond pump. Credit the FDR Memorial (Washington, DC) fountains, in part, for positive inspiration, a neighbor's drop-in pool kit for negative inspiration. The former, a variety of water sounds, each fountain different, each pleasing; the latter, a solid stream, not so pleasing. I wanted a soft drip, hence, the water flows over the inverted cone shape, falls a short distance (.8 to 1.2") to the tower base, then another inch or so to the reservoir, producing a gentle gurgling murmur. The pump is concealed between the base and tower, wrapped in foam to dull the humming. Edited April 5 by Hulk sizing Pres, pottery007, LeeU and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 I wish I could remember where this piece was installed, or who made it, but an artist made a whole bunch of thinly trimmed porcelain bowls, and floated them in a pool of water with a gentle current running through it. The bowls rang and sounded like wind chimes when they bumped into each other. It was incredibly soothing. My initial inclination for question three is to say that I’d prefer to interact with a piece rather than have a constant sound, but I think that subtle environmental interactions could count towards that. pottery007, Hulk, Rae Reich and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 I made some musical instruments for my son when he was in high school. I believe they were African, one you blew softly into the top and it had a hole in it that you could change the pitch with. It was a large vase shape. I think the other one you pounded on it like a drum. I didn't know to much about it, I just followed his directions and he cut out the holes. I found them on-line for $100.00 and higher for ones with fancy carvings on them. My son wanted to start a on-line business selling them, he didn't help me make any of the instruments. I told him I didn't want to spend all of my free time making instruments for him to sell. He was angry with me at first and decided later that it really wouldn't be fair to me. Denice Hulk, Pres, Rae Reich and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 Doumbek and Udu drums both make great sounds. Fountains can make for very soothing sounds. However I'm not at all a fan of ceramic wind chimes. The sound of ceramic pieces hitting each other is a very harsh sound. Plus as a potter that sound is disturbing, as we generally try our best to keep our pieces from banging into each other. pottery007 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 Thanks Neil for the reminder I was thinking one of them was called a Udu. Denice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottery007 Posted April 9 Author Report Share Posted April 9 Oh my gosh you guys! I was not expecting anyone to be responding to my questions because I thought it would easily get lost. Opened the forum today and I'm seeing all of these comments and learning so much from you all. Thank you so much for taking the time and commenting over here. I've been carrying out a lot of my research based off of Instagram and Pinterest looking through works by various artists and how that connects to their audience. It has started to get very interesting. I will be sharing all that I've learned as things progress forward. It is going to take me some time to read through all of the comments and since it is late here in Melbourne and I'm sleepy I can't comprehend everything, haha! But I shall be back here tomorrow! Thank you so much once again! I'm so very happy! Thank youuu!! Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottery007 Posted April 10 Author Report Share Posted April 10 Hulk, it sounds like your neighbor's pool kit wasn't quite the inspiration you were hoping for lol! But hey, sometimes the best way to learn what you like is by experiencing what you don't. The soft gurgling sounds perfect! Is there a video or something that shows what the fountain sounds like? Although I'm not sure if videos can be attached here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottery007 Posted April 10 Author Report Share Posted April 10 Callie, it took me quite some time to find this video that quite closely resembles what you've mentioned https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADYkCyQ_aRM If it is, it sure is soothing to the ear. And the calming blues and whites add this meditative aspect to it. I do think interacting with a piece makes you feel more involved and puts you into this mental space that connects you to the activity, in a way that grounds you to the present moment. If a piece was mechanized in some manner, I guess that would be interesting as well, it could make something inanimate come to life which can be seen as appealing in some ways. Callie Beller Diesel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottery007 Posted April 10 Author Report Share Posted April 10 Denice, yes, with my research so far I've come across several forms of musical instruments. The Udu drums were the first to pop up in the initial results. I came across artists Julia Elsas and Vianney Lopez both using clay based musical instruments. I found it very amusing with how each artist's musical talents and they way they use these instruments are specific to their own personalities too. Just gonna add their Instagram profiles cause they're amazing: Julia Elsas https://www.instagram.com/artsoforigin?igsh=dWM3OXF2a2l4aGh0 & Vianney Lopez https://www.instagram.com/something_elsas?igsh=ZTlibTkzMHJqeGZ4 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottery007 Posted April 10 Author Report Share Posted April 10 Neil, the Doumbek is new to me, thanks for sharing that. And yes, both sounds produced are beautiful in their own right. Wind chimes can be quite tricky since you wouldn't want them to crash into each other and break. That's a valid fear to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottery007 Posted April 10 Author Report Share Posted April 10 Callie, I guess this was the artist behind the music bowls installation CÉLESTE BOURSIER-MOUGENOT | CLINAMEN https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/celeste-boursier-mougenot/ Callie Beller Diesel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted April 11 Report Share Posted April 11 Just for fun, I made a few "unsophisticated" rattles a couple of years ago. I used different clay bodies for the shell and the inner beads, in various combinations, like glazed or unglazed balls inside, the same size or mixed, small or large, a lot or a few--the container might be a grogged stoneware, a thin procelain, or a high-iron red. The range of sounds are fascinating--from light and tingley to a drum-like heavyness. This one is afavorite, that I use to sit in on a music jam at a local community center--I have no musical talent whatsoever, but "playing" the rattle I can pull off. LANA9 and Min 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted April 11 Report Share Posted April 11 I haven't try to make one of these it is a idea that has been rolling around in my head. The ancient Greeks would put large gourds in trees. The gourds would have a hole in them and strings strung across the holes. They would have dinner al fresco and listen to the gentle wind creating musical tones from the gourds. I was thinking that I could make some gourds out of paper clay to keep the weight down. I grew some large Snake type gourds to give to my son, he has never lived anywhere long enough to hang them up. I finally have trees in my yard large enough to hang gourds on. Making your own gourds would be easier than growing giant snake gourds. Denice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted April 27 Report Share Posted April 27 On 4/11/2024 at 4:52 PM, Denice said: They would have dinner al fresco and listen to the gentle wind creating musical tones from the gourds. A nice idea, which triggered this thought. There may be some ideas on the use of gourd-size resonators in this book that could be implemented in ceramics. change location and currency for some local prices https://www.bookfinder.com/search/?full=on&ac=sl&st=sl&ref=bf_s2_a1_t1_1&qi=OAsKRPTKCBg9erQLq0pcohcePyM_1714219097_1:2689:6113 ... perhaps sometimes using mixed-media (e.g. the banjo-like instrument). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinR Posted April 27 Report Share Posted April 27 This subject reminded me of seeing Carlton Ball in the late 70s or early 80s. He had made several kinds of horns which worked and looked fantastic. I wonder if anyone here remembers his work? Lin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted April 27 Report Share Posted April 27 I don't remember his horns but I do remember hit work. Fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 13 hours ago, LinR said: This subject reminded me of seeing Carlton Ball in the late 70s or early 80s. He had made several kinds of horns which worked and looked fantastic. I wonder if anyone here remembers his work? Lin A picture of one of Carlton's horns, and other peoples work (e.g. 4-headed drum, multi-chambered wind instruments, ...) clay musical instruments https://www.pinterest.com/baldaufa1/clay-musical-instruments/ LeeU 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinR Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 That is exactly what I remember! I had wondered how correct my memory was. It was a long time ago. Lin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinosfronimos Posted June 19 Report Share Posted June 19 I made a few water whistles recently, they were a blast - pun intended! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LANA9 Posted June 20 Report Share Posted June 20 It is a good topic to discuss. It is intriguing how different shapes and materials can affect sound. It explained in a good way, especially the mention of musical pottery traditions like ocarinas and udu drums. I am curious if anyone has experimented with modern techniques to enhance or modify the sound properties of their ceramic pieces. Looking forward to more interesting insights. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinosfronimos Posted June 24 Report Share Posted June 24 On 6/19/2024 at 10:00 PM, kinosfronimos said: I made a few water whistles recently, they were a blast - pun intended! The tutorial I followed - they worked out great! Min 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.