Sensory system

Sound

Context

Listening to the experiment of playing these pots in a room behind the scenes of the museum of archaeology and anthropology

Temporality

Contemporary Cambridge

Physical

The sound of blowing into the pots makes a shrill, piercing whistle that is almost painful.

Emotional

I have seen these pots in the museum for nearly 20 years. I knew they had the potential to make sound. But they have always been static, either in a case or a box. On 10th March 2025, the senior curator, Gael, the collections manager for archaeology, Jo, the marketing assistant, Alex, and I gathered in our workroom to finally let these objects fulfil their potential. Alex and Gael had carefully removed the pots from their case on the second floor of the museum, bringing them down to the workroom in trays. I was trusted to get a plastic jug of water. Jo set up the recording equipment to get good audio ready for our TSM display. This was the second Moche pot Gael played. She blew into the spout, and the pot emitted a loud whistle, a little like a bird call. The pot has a hole partway up the back, below the spout. Gael carefully plugged the hole when she played it. She describes the sound as 'sharp', especially compared to 1947.332 B. One minute in to the recording, Gael blows extra hard, making a very loud sound. Gael stops blowing, looks up almost surprised at herself, giggles and taps her foot in joy at the sound coming out of the pot. We all laugh, I have goosebumps, "It's so cool!" says Jo. "Imagine this," Gael suggests, looking back at the artefact in her hands, "in the middle of the jungle or something, calling birds, or something like that. Or within a ceremony". Barely have the words left her mouth before she eagerly returns to making the pot emit its shrill whistle. I do imagine the jungle, at night, with this ethereal sound coming from unexpected directions. After one and a half minutes, Gael pauses, puts the pot down, looks at it and calls it "beautiful". Now it is the time I have been waiting for: what will it sound like when we add liquid? Gael slowly pours water into the narrow spout, declaring the particularly non-archaeological clear plastic jug "perfect" for getting the water in. She moves the pot in a circular motion, checking the level of the water inside. Gael tips the pot so that the water will move from chamber to chamber. We can hear the water swilling inside the pot, sounding almost like the sea. Gael tries covering the hole to see whether it makes a difference. "Mmmm, it's not working" she says, slightly wistfully. I realise I am holding my breath, waiting for this pot to let us hear its sound. Gael continues to tip the pot, wondering whether there is something blocking the inside. I suggest she tries blowing in to it, mostly because I am so keen to hear it make a noise again, just to reassure us that it can do it. Jimena obliges, then tries adding more water. This time, as she tips the pot far forward, then far back, it makes a gurgling sound as the water takes a different path. "There you go" Gael whispers. This time, as she tips the bird side of the pot down, it gives out the most incredible bird chirp. Gael is overjoyed, her upper body dropping from relief, her face a picture of joy, "this is beautiful!" she exclaims. I am astounded at the sound. It's almost unbelievable that this coming together of pot and liquid could sound so much like a bird. Gael tries again, and the pot continues to perform the most amazing feat of mimicry. When it stops working, she adds more water and really gets the hang of the performance. The colour of the pot is changing as the water is absorbed into the fabric. We can smell the dusty ceramic in the air. Yet again I am humbled by museum objects, amazed (but not surprised) by the skill of the Moche potters. Being able to experience this pot making the bird call was a spine-tingling moment. Unforgettable.

Relationships

• Balance
• Smell
• Visual