Listening to the voice of clay
Otlarongwa Kgweetsi | Monday February 17, 2025 11:51
His love for acoustic ceramics started after his first exhibition in Maputo in 2005, as he wanted to make something different from other artists. His work explores the acoustic properties of ceramics, treating them as instruments of communication both between people and with the ancestors. His performances merge sculpture, movement, and ritual, drawing from traditions where clay has been used for music, ceremonies, and storytelling. Born in Mozambique, Ussumane was exposed to artistic traditions that saw ceramics as more than functional objects. His fascination with sound began when he observed how different cultures used clay instruments in rituals and communal gatherings. In an interview with Arts&Culture at Thapong Visual Arts Centre this past Tuesday, Ussumane explained that before they had metal or wooden instruments and clay, the earth was their first tool for making music. This historical and spiritual awareness informs his work, which transforms ceramics into objects that do more than hold form, they hold meaning.
Ussumane, who has been in Botswana for two months now, stated that he is not here to teach about ceramics but instead to share information about ceramics and the importance of drums or instruments in terms of communicating with ancestors. Many of the ceramic instruments he creates are meant to produce sounds used in spiritual practices. “In my culture and many others across Africa, sound is a way to speak to the ancestors. Drumming, blowing into a vessel, striking a surface, all of these are acts of calling, of sending messages beyond the physical world,” he explains. His performances often reflect this belief, incorporating rhythms and tones associated with ceremonies meant to appease or communicate with spirits. His approach to performance is intuitive rather than scripted. Each piece is built around the interaction between his body and the clay instruments he sculpts. “The clay decides the sound,” he says. “When I shape a drum, I don’t force it into a sound, it reveals the rhythm it wants to produce. When I blow into a ceramic flute, it carries breath into vibration, like a voice,” he adds. His process begins in the studio, where he experiments with forms, textures, and firing techniques to create instruments that produce distinct tones. Ussumane’s research into clay instruments spans multiple African cultures, exploring how ancient communities used them for spiritual and communal functions. “In many traditions, clay flutes, drums, and whistles were not just for music. They were sacred. They carried messages to the ancestors, to nature, to each other,” he says.
His work revives and reinterprets these practices, challenging the notion that ceramics are merely decorative. His performances encourage audiences to experience ceramics beyond sight. “I don’t want people to just observe. I want them to feel the vibrations, to hear how clay breathes,” he says. His work has been featured in art festivals, galleries, and cultural spaces across Africa, adapting each time to the space and the people present. Though his work is rooted in tradition, Ussumane is not recreating the past, he is evolving it. “I am continuing a conversation that has been happening for centuries,” he says. He experiments with amplification, recording techniques, and modern musical influences, blending old and new seamlessly. His approach challenges conventional ideas about ceramics, asking what happens when an object meant to be seen is also meant to be heard. “Clay is not just for shaping,” he says. “It is for listening,” he highlights. Through his work, Ussumane invites audiences to rethink the role of ceramics, not just as art but as a bridge between the physical and the spiritual world. For Ussumane, the performance is only part of the process.
The making of the instruments, the preparation of the clay, and the act of playing them all contribute to their meaning. “It’s not just about the final sound, it’s about the journey of the material, from the earth to the hands to the air,” he explains. He emphasises that his work is deeply connected to African knowledge systems, where the making and use of objects are inseparable from their cultural purpose. His work is also a response to the changing role of traditional practices in contemporary society. As younger generations move away from ancestral customs, he sees his performances as a way to reconnect people with forgotten or neglected traditions. “We are losing a lot of knowledge about how sound and ritual were connected. My work is about remembering and reinterpreting that knowledge for today’s world.” he said.
By positioning ceramics as active participants in artistic and spiritual expression, Ussumane continues to push boundaries. “People often think of clay as something fragile, something breakable. But it has lasted for thousands of years, carrying history, carrying voices. I want to remind people that it is still speaking,' he emphasises.