'Mud to Music' INTRODUCTION
‘Mud to Music’ is an exhibit that links two different forms of art to communicate culture, artistry, and the human experience. This exhibit highlights masterfully-made musical instruments created from early materials – specifically clay or mud. These instruments are used by people to communicate their culture and artistry, which speaks to our shared humanity.
Clay or mud instruments have been used in all parts of the world for thousands of years. The making of these instruments is not the mere assemblage of clay but is based on laws of physics and acoustics. They are artistically based upon and built according to certain technical rules and limitations, while the visual aspect of these instruments has an impact both on their sound, and how they are perceived.
For early people, the instruments were considered animistic, the belief that everything in the universe has a spirit and life force. The sound created by these instruments was believed to be a spiritual unison of all forces: fire, clay, air, wood, animals, and humans. Many instruments were shaped and formed in the image of deities, reinforcing the respect for and potent entity of their power. Today, most people consider them to be simple tools of communication that stimulate our senses and help provide an atmosphere for connectedness, intimacy, or entertainment in our daily lives.
ABOUT
Invite your guests into the world of discovery. The transformation of mud or clay into musical instruments is truly remarkable, just as the making of music is an amazing art form heard around the world. Your guest will learn about the incredible musical instruments of six cultural centers from five continents – Africa, Ancient Americas, Central and South America, China, Europe, and North America. They will learn about these amazing musical instruments in different ways, such as:
- How do they work?
- How did the craftsman make them – construction, shape, materials?
- What is their connection to the cultural practices they came from?
- How do they reflect musical heritage in various societies?
- How have these instruments changed through the centuries?
KEY MESSAGES
- These musical instruments not only blend music and clay, but they also contain elements that reveal different scales, different rhythms, and different ways of participating in music around the world
- Attention given to the incredible diversity of musical sounds that exist in the world
- Helps people think differently about what music is and what it means in various cultures
- Music is universal and essentially the sounds of emotion
VISITOR APPEAL
- There is a growing interest in world cultures and their art forms, as people more easily communicate and travel internationally. That interest is the focus of this exhibit, which highlights masterfully made musical instruments created from mud or clay
- Learn how mud/clay instruments were actually some of our earliest made instruments
- Imagine what it would be like to step back in time
- Explore and learn of mud/clay instruments from around the world
- Learn how musical instruments were used for communication and cultural practices
