Earthy notes: Sculpt a Clay Ocarina

Sculpt your ocarina from clay using simple handbuilding techniques such as pinching, joining and sculpting. Every student will end up with a raw clay musical instrument made using only the earth and their own two hands!

This is a wonderful process-based session that teaches several basic and essential clayforming techniques, whilst also encouraging failure and perseverance; the finished product is less important than the knowledge of how to make it in future, and as your ocarina won’t be fired on site, you’ll walk away with a worksheet walking you through exactly how to recreate your ocarina when you return home…

Ocarinas are ancient wind instruments made with a follow form, mouth piece and fingerholes. After joining two pinch pots and an additional mouthpiece, we’ll carve out a hole (labium and aperture), which will allow the vessel to create noise – after which we’ll experiment with fingerholes to alter the sound!

When everyone has had fun completing this beautifully interactive object, we’ll all celebrate noisily together in harmony, and as a final act we’ll squashing and smush them together; a beautiful, ephemeral clay orchestra!

Esme is a self-taught artist and teacher working with found and foraged materials. Her ceramic practice explores folklore, place, and history through clay, ash, glass, and chance.

IMPORTANT INFO:

• Suitable for ages 12+ (U16s to be supervised)
• Please wear clothes you don’t mind getting messy (or bring an old t-shirt). Suitable for beginners.