At the heart of Echoes of Ceramics is an unusual but deeply tactile source material: the resonant sounds produced by ceramic forms after firing. The project began when I noticed the delicate tapping sounds emitted by ceramic pots as they cooled after being removed from a kiln. Fascinated by both the sonic qualities and the idea of echo itself, I spent over a year exploring the musical potential of ceramics, experimenting with different clays, glazes and firing methods while documenting the process using condenser and contact microphones. Electric, wood-fired, raku, paper and Hungarian kilns each revealed distinct sonic characteristics, gradually forming the basis of an extensive self-created library of ceramic sounds.
Rather than simply sampling these recordings, I approached the ceramic forms as instruments in their own right. Through touching, tapping and interacting with the sculptures, I discovered rhythmic structures, tonal variations and percussive textures, while handmade ceramic ocarinas introduced melodic elements into the compositions. These sounds were then transformed further through tape processing, reverbs, granular synthesis and other forms of post-production, before being interwoven with synthesizers, bass clarinet, violin, cello, double bass and voice. The result is an album where acoustic resonance, electronic manipulation and organic performance coexist within a singular sonic environment.
The album’s conceptual foundation lies in its interdisciplinarity: the idea that ceramics and music can meaningfully inform one another as artistic practices. Throughout the process, I became increasingly drawn to themes of listening, presence and sensitivity to the hidden musicality of everyday materials. For me, ceramic sounds have a meditative quality, and I find it fascinating that fired sculptures continue to emit faint tapping sounds for weeks, sometimes even months, after leaving the kiln. This lingering resonance became central to the album’s title and emotional atmosphere, transforming Echoes of Ceramics into both a study of sound and a meditation on the subtle afterlives carried within objects themselves.
A big thank you to all the musicians involved in this project:
Bass clarinet: Lena Nowak
Violin: Karolina Gutowska
Cello: Katarzyna Stasiewicz
Double bass and moog: Krzysztof Baranowski
Compositions, audio engineering, production and mix by Kasia Gawlik
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Released digitally on Whitelabrecs
In December 2025 I organized an exhibition of the project Echoes of Ceramics at Prześwit in Warsaw where I showcased the ceramic forms I made and the compositions I wrote.
Poster and visualiser design: Marek Idzikowski
Photos by Marek Idzikowski