Handcrafted Clay Speakers That Amplify The Sounds Of The Earth

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“Can you hear it? The music? I can hear it everywhere. In the wind, in the air, in the light. It’s all around us. All you have to do is open yourself up. All you have to do... is listen.”

-From the movie August Rush

If you live in an urban jungle where vehicular traffic is the only noise that overtakes your senses, this quote might not mean much to you. And if you have indeed accepted that cacophony to be the noise of the Earth, then it’s time you took a break and carried along to a quaint, secluded village near you. When you do set out on that journey, however, make sure you take a Mapuguaquén speaker with you.

Designed by a Chilean, Pablo Ocqueteau, this series of handcrafted, fire-kilned, earthen speakers are changing the way people listen to the Earth we live off of. The name has been derived from the Mapudungun language of the indigenous aborigines of Southern Chile, meaning “sound of the earth” and just as the name suggests, this speaker will amplify the sounds of nature. Made from clay on a potter’s wheel, finished with terra sigillata, and rounded with other natural materials such as olive wood and cork, this speaker is, without a doubt, an incredible work of functional art.

The idea behind the speakers is rooted in Ocqueteau’s desire to promote the old manufacturing traditions by working with local resources, while catering to the needs of the contemporary audiophile community. Keeping this in mind, he chose to adopt the tradition of pottery with the modern technology of wireless audio to create these.

He is now working towards developing the first of these series by the end of this year and it has already earned him several awards such as the Green Product Award, 2015, in Germany. For those of you wanting to get a hold on these beauties, you may not have to wait long. The company is planning to pre-sell products as part of a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for production. Take a look at their website to know more.