Goal: To create a ceramic ocarina whistle that incorporates functionality into the design.
Essential Questions:
1. How does ceramic use in past cultures differ from the way ceramics are used today?
2. How do the design aspects of ceramics differ from culture to culture?
3. How do artists creatively combine the elements and principles of design to make the same object look different in a variety of ways?
Materials:
Clay
Assorted clay tools
Wooden coffee mixer or thin popsicle stick
Assignment:
The assignment is to design an ocarina that will incorporate the functionality of a whistle. After being shown a demonstration on how to create the hollow chamber, the window opening and the air canal that creates the whistle sound, study a variety of different ocarina designs from different artists and different cultures and create your own design that is unique but maintains the function of a whistle. Some examples are ocarinas that are in the shape of an animal (example: the trunk of the elephant is the mouthpiece of the whistle, the mouth of the rabbit is the air passage of the whistle, or the air holes to change the pitch of the whistle are disguised as the spots on the back of a lady bug). The challenge is to incorporate the essential parts of the whistle into their design so that it does not necessarily appear to be a whistle at first glance but it is still fully functional.
View Here: Clay Ocarina Whistle Instruction Handout
Tips:
• The sharp edge in the airway (40 degree angle) is the most important step to get the whistle to function properly.
It must line up perfectly with the air passage!
• Make sure the air passage is free of debris otherwise you will not get a clear sound.
• Start off with creating the hollow chamber and add on/build from there.
• If you are having trouble getting the whistle to work, let it dry out a little bit – sometimes the clay is too soft to get the sharp angle and clear air passage that is necessary.
Examples of Clay Ocarina Whistles:
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