Whistling Vessels - Vasijas Silbadoras

Join us for an immersive two-day workshop where participants learn to create their own whistling vessels, clay instruments rooted in prehispanic traditions across Latin America and connected to wind-based ceramic instruments found throughout Aotearoa and the Pacific.

Day One, 4.5 hours (includes a short break)
• Introduction to the cultural context and history of whistling vessels from Latin America
• Connections with clay and wind instruments from Aotearoa and the Pacific
• Coil making session: participants will learn to make their own coils by hand, using an extruding tool and developing spiral building to create two small bottles that will form the main chambers of the instrument

Day Two, 4.5 hours (includes a short break)
• Trimming and cutting the bottles
• Handbuilding a connecting cylinder/tube using slabs
• Pinch-pot technique to create the hollow sphere that completes the whistling system
• Assembly of all components
• Optional carving, burnishing, or surface decoration

Your finished pieces will be unglazed to honour the raw, rustic character of the form. We work with black clay for its depth, texture, and traditional qualities, encouraging natural tool marks and hand-made surfaces to remain visible.

By the end of the workshop, each participant will have created a functional whistling vessel. an object that carries sound, breath, and cultural lineage.

Once the vessels are fully dried, we will take them through the first firing (bisque 900°C) and then to a second firing (cone 6 glaze firing 1200°C) to ensure proper vitrification and a fully sealed structure. This final stage is essential, allowing participants to fill the bottles with water and hear the soft whistle created as the piece rocks side to side.

Between 3-4 weeks later students will be able to collect their pieces from Corban Estate Arts Centre and listen to them whistling!!! 

Tutor Profile

Image: 
Whistling Vessels 
Vasijas Silbadoras
Cat Guevara (2024)