Mosaic

We met outside the block of flats. ‘Hello’ I said. ‘Hello’ said Toby. ‘This is Tim. This is George, and this is Ilaria.’ ‘Hello’ I said.

We worked all day making mosaics. George, a beautiful English girl, told us about her boyfriend. ‘We met on the plane to LA’ she said. ‘It was amazing. I saw him the day before, in a restaurant with my father. He was so handsome. I caught him looking at me, but I couldn’t introduce myself. And there he was on the plane!’ ‘Amazing’ we all agreed. ‘It must have been fate’ said Ilaria.

‘I’ve been interested in astrology’ said George. ‘ever since I was seven.’ She knew all about it too – air signs and earth signs, the moon in Cancer and this and that rising. ‘You’re a Virgo?’ she said. ‘That’s why you’re organised. But you must have some Pisces in you’ I think it was Pisces. ‘They are the artists.’

‘I’m not sure about that’ said Tim. ‘Isn’t it a bit open? Couldn’t you say any of those things about anyone?’

‘You should get your birth chart done’ said George. ‘You’d be surprised by the things you can learn.’

I cannot be alone in noticing how subjectivity emerges from the work people make. It is commonplace for students to create mosaics that match the clothes they wear, or do portraits of others that resemble themselves.

‘Of course I like the other materials, but my eye immediately went to the gold’ said George. And she made a little panel of the night sky, with glittering stars.

Ilaria told us about how she came to be here. ‘I was a designer in Italy, but I was told I would never make it there. My clothes were too unconventional. Italian design is very straight. So I came to London.’ Ilaria (think of Hilary, she said, when I found it hard to remember her name, which immediately solved the problem) was lovely — dark and striking. Her clothes were decorated, or deconstructed, with textures and trimmings and intense hues that complemented her beautiful colouring. Her mosaic was made from patches of brilliant hues.

Tim sniffed.  ‘I found it hard to get out of bed.’ He said.  ‘I jumped on my bike and raced over here.’

‘You must be a night owl’ I said, looking at his inky black mosaic. ‘You got that right’ he said. ‘Hmm. Sushi, good call, Toby.’

‘Or Bali’ George was saying ‘I go there all the time.’

‘You go to Bali all the time?’ I interjected. ‘There can’t be many people who can say that.’

‘My boyfriend’s a travel writer.’

‘Wow. Lucky you.’ we all said.

At the end of the session we put the materials in a room next to the concierge. ‘They’ll be safe till tomorrow’ said Toby.

‘See you then’ I said, as I went to the tube.

‘She’s not there’ said Goris as we waited for the concierge the next morning. ‘What’s happened to her?’

‘What’s your name again?’ I asked.

‘Goris’ he said.

‘Right.’ I said.

‘I’m not going outside to look for her’ said George. ‘There’s too much wind. I can’t stand it.’

‘I think it’s nice’ I said. ‘Didn’t you enjoy it in the workshop yesterday, listening to the trees?’

‘Air carries positive ions, while water bears negative ones. Negative ions are good for you. Positive ones are not. It’s scientifically proven. That’s why we humans don’t like the wind’ she said.

‘Really?’ I said. ‘I see.’

(Happiness in West London continues tomorrow).

Posted under: Mosaic by Emma Biggs | Tags: Emma Biggs > mosaic courses > mosaic making > mosaic workshops