Experience MusiCLAY: A Fusion of Ceramics, Music & Light!

Organised by St. James’ Creation under the Rehabilitation Services of St. James’  Settlement, a brand new exhibition MusiCLAY debuted at the St. James’ Creation Gallery in Wan Chai on 5 November, 2024. The exhibition brings together 17 interdisciplinary artists who creatively integrate elements of ceramics and music to create an unprecedented sensory stage. It breaks through traditional artistic boundaries, showcasing a series of playful and experimental works that provide the public with an inspiring visual and auditory experience.

On the opening day, the gallery transformed into a stage of limitless creativity. Ceramic creators from St. James’ Creation, known as ‘C-Fu-Jai’, and four artists from different fields (music, sound and lighting electronics, and ceramics) took to the stage together. They not only introduced the creative concepts and processes of the three main thematic series of artworks but also performed innovative, interesting, and delightful music and rhythms using musical instruments made from ceramics, creating a lively atmosphere on-site.

The exhibition titled MusiCLAY draws its inspiration from the fascinating fusion of music and ceramics. The works in the exhibition push the traditional uses of ceramics to new levels, incorporating modern electronic sound and lighting technologies to create a visual and auditory experience. Each piece is an experiment, not only distinctive in appearance but also in creating new forms of art due to its unique materials and design.

The guests in attendance at the opening were full of praise for these experimental and playful works. They were amazed at how ceramics, music, and electronic sound and lighting were cleverly integrated to create a highly interactive exhibition space. Many audiences spontaneously participated on-site, personally experiencing the unique charm of these ceramic instruments and immersing themselves in the environment shaped by the melodies and rhythms.

MusiCLAY is one of the sub-projects of the community art programme ‘Our Stories’. This programme has been curated by St. James’ Creation since 2017. It is a ceramic art creation platform designed specifically for individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders. Cheryl Cheung, Project Director and Senior Manager of Rehabilitation Services at St. James’ Settlement, stated that, ‘St. James’ Creation has always been committed to promoting community art projects. With “C-Fu-Jai” at the core, we invite local and international artists to participate, jointly advancing the development of the arts, connecting and nourishing the hearts and minds of the public through art.’

In the theme Electro-Ceramic Universe, the audience will step into an interactive installation space that merges ceramics with electronic sound and lighting effects. The creative highlight of this series includes an innovative phonograph, ‘A Funky Player’. This is not an ordinary phonograph that plays pre-recorded records but a brand new music composition device. Its operation depends on the imagination, hands, ears, and eyes of the audience, and is able to capture and play back the live sounds of the visitors on the spot. When visitors interact with the device, their actions are transformed into visual and auditory art, creating a unique musical trajectory that makes each experience one-of-a-kind.

In Clay Spectrum, ceramics are transformed into a new interactive medium, not only serving as a visual art display but also as a tool for creating music. This innovative concept combines play and viewing, utilising natural clay to allow audiences to experience the most primal form of the musical world – percussion. These ceramic instruments draw attention with their vibrant colors and engage the auditory senses through their unique sound qualities and timbres, creating an interactive space for musical creation. Here, visitors can touch and tap these instruments to create personal melodies and rhythms, experiencing the perfect fusion of music and ceramic art.

Voices of Nature centers around the beauty and vibrancy of flowers, using ceramic art to capture the purity and colorfulness of the natural world. These ceramic pieces take inspiration from flowers, reflecting the rich aesthetics and delicate touches of nature. Through the combination of visual, tactile, and auditory elements, the works aim to convey the beauty and poetic essence of nature, allowing urban dwellers to experience the freshness and tranquility of nature through the sounds of ceramics.

This opening event is more than a briefing session; it is a celebration of the fusion of art and technology. Artists and ‘C-Fu-Jai’ hope to invite the public to participate in ‘Play Music, Play Clay’ and to explore together the new roles and frontiers of ceramics in contemporary art. This innovation enriches visual and auditory experience and stimulates everyone’s imagination about new uses for traditional materials.

The MusiCLAY exhibition will hold multiple tours between 2024 and 2025, introducing a variety of new works that allow the public a chance to personally experience this wonderful world of interdisciplinary art. We invite everyone interested to visit this audio-visual feast and explore the infinite possibilities of ceramics and music together in this unique art exchange.