18 - 27 SEPTEMBER
2026
Ceramic sound masks course
with Martín Gastón Merlos e Julieta Bilbao
-Nómada Cerámica-
Immersive course on how to create ceramic sound masks
Throughout history, many cultures across the Americas have used ceramic masks and sound instruments as mediators between the body, nature, and the invisible. This ancestral practice, deeply symbolic and ritualistic, is the inspiration behind this immersive learning journey, connected to the five elements: clay, water, air, fire and sound.
From Argentina to Cerdeira, we welcome Martín and Julieta to share an ancestral artistic practice through a contemporary lens - the result of more than 10 years of research, experimentation, and teaching across Latin America.
In this Ceramic Sound Masks workshop, you’ll be invited to listen, shape, and create your own personal sound mask, weaving together aesthetic and morphological elements inspired not only by ancestral cultures but also by the natural landscape of Lousã mountain. The program blends theory and hands-on practice, observational walks, the making of wind instruments, the building of brick cylindrical kiln, and the experience of wood-firing techniques.
We’ll conclude with a collective sound performance, a final sharing of results and closing ritual.
At the end, you’ll take home your mask and whistles - a lasting memory of the shared experience and creativity that flourished during the course!
Martín Gastón Merlos and Julieta Bilbao are two ceramicists from Argentina. Martín is a ceramics and sculpture professor at the National University of La Plata (UNLP); Julieta is a photographer, ceramist, and cultural manager. Together, they created the Nómada Cerámica project.
Martín and Julieta specialize in sound ceramics, ceramic design/production, and design/construction of ceramic kilns. They have worked in the field for 15 years and held conferences, workshops, residencies, and concerts in Latin America since 2017. This is their first workshop in Europe, and they were invited by Cerdeira - Home for Creativity.
By creating sound sculptural objects, Nómada Cerámica’s work traces a genealogy between the past and the present, bringing to life an aesthetic, poetic, and sacred language that survives in the transdisciplinarity of this project, adapted to innovation in contemporary artistic practice. In Nómada Cerámica, all these languages coexist ceramics, sculpture, music, anthropology, and archaeology.
Find more about the Nómada Cerámica project.
course details
SCHEDULE:
September 18th:
3 pm: Accommodation and check-in of participants
5 pm: Reception at the studio;
7:30 pm: Welcome dinner
September 19th to 27th: course from 10 am to 6 pm, with a two-hour lunch break (1pm to 3pm)
*The schedule is flexible on the days the kiln firing starts and ends.
September 28th: Until 11 am: check-out from accommodation
Want to know more? Ask us for the full program at artsandcrafts@cerdeirahomeforcreativity.com ✨
CONDITIONS
Deadline for enrollment: July 18th, 2026.
Special discount for newsletter subscribers available for early bird registrations by March 8th 2026
THE COURSE FEE INCLUDES:
Training 6 hours a day;
Translation Spanish - English;
Welcome dinner on the first day of the course;
Lunch during the course;
Free accommodation at the hostel during the course (10 nights)*;
Kiln building and woodfriring;
All the materials needed for the course, except mask decoration materials**;
*The hostel is equipped with two dormitories (female/masculine), a kitchen, and two shared bathrooms. The booking includes towels and linen.
**Does not include additional materials for decorating the masks, such as textiles, stones, metals, feathers, wood, etc. Any additional materials for decorating the mask must be brought by each participant to add a personal touch.
IMPORTANT!
Safety during the wood-firing:
For safety reasons, please bring footwear that protects the toes, such as sneakers/shoes/boots. We also ask to avoid clothing with synthetic fibers, opting for natural fibers such as 100% cotton.
Leave extra space in your luggage!
We also recommend bringing extra space in your luggage to take your pieces home at the end of the course.
Shipping options available are not ideal or cost-effective for ceramics – personal transport is strongly recommended.
ACCOMMODATION UPGRADES AVAILABLE:
Upgrade to 10 nights in a standard schist house shared by 2 participants and breakfast at an additional cost of 800€/per participant. Includes shared room, equipped kitchen, towels, and bed linen.
Upgrade to 10 nights in a standard schist house for single occupancy by 1 participant and breakfast, with an additional cost of 1150€/per participant. Includes single room, equipped kitchen, towels, and bed linen.
Please note that all accommodation options have limited availability and will be booked according to the order of registration and payment. This rate is not cumulative with other discounts or promotions. For more information, contact artsandcrafts@cerdeirahomeforcreativity.com.
ENROLLMENTS AND MORE INFO:
artsandcrafts@cerdeirahomeforcreativity.com
+351 913 989 281*
*(call to national mobile network)
CANCELLATION POLICY FOR COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
You may withdraw within 14 days of registration, paying the correspondent transfer fees. Following the EU consumer protection legislation, payments are not refunded past 14 days of registration. The payment will be fully reimbursed if the training cannot be held because of insufficient students.
Suppose the training is canceled by Cerdeira - Home For Creativity for reasons of significant force such as a pandemic, civil disorder, a natural catastrophe, medical or family issues of the teacher, and others beyond our control. In that case, Cerdeira will offer a voucher for a different workshop of your choice. The voucher is valid for two years.
PAYMENT INSTALLMENT OPTIONS
You can pay for the course in up to 5 monthly installments, depending on the course. Payments are automatically deducted from your chosen payment method starting from the date you submit your registration form. Please be aware that additional costs for this service apply, depending on the selected installment plan. At checkout, after selecting your preferred option, make sure to review the total amount to be paid before completing your registration. Please note that if installment payments are not fulfilled within the established timeframe, your registration will be canceled without a refund of the amounts already paid.
If you have any questions, contact us at artsandcrafts@cerdeirahomeforcreativity.com.
PHOTO GALLERY
