The Weight of Words
Estimated time to read - under 3 minutes
This week, November 14-18th is Anti-Bullying week so it seems an appropriate time to share some details on a mosaic I made last year which centers on the impact of being bullied. I called it ‘The Weight of Words’.
I started thinking about creating this mosaic during a period of time when my daughter was being bullied in high school. It was a difficult time for her, being on the receiving end of constant snide remarks and put-downs from her peers. I felt angry and frustrated with these children who could not see the impact of their words.
Turning to my mosaic work, I wanted to create something that visually showed how a constant stream of small comments and remarks could build up and chip away at someone’s self esteem.
One of the things I decided early on was that the choice of materials was crucial to convey my message. I planned to use waste materials for the main section - the cruel words that I wanted to depict were not worthy of anything else. I also wanted to use dark materials to represent the negativity contained within the words.
I had a broken floor tile and a recycled roof slate, both salvaged from a skip, along with some leftover tile adhesive. All were various shades of dark grey and black. Any marks made on these materials as result of the cutting processes were left. They were another indication of the ugliness of the words the pieces represented.
On the other hand, the bottom section, representing the beautiful soul of my daughter, needed to be made from something special - it needed to shine. I chose smalti for this - a mix of gold, iridescent and regular smalti - precious mosaic materials that could represent all her wonderful attributes, including her strength and resilience.
These ideas and plans were bubbling away in my mind and I had even made a start on the mosaic, although it wasn’t looking quite how I wanted it to. But then the pandemic hit. We went into lockdown and other things took priority. There were new challenges to cope with and my plans were stored away for another time.
By the time the children returned to school the bullying had become less of an issue. Things were calmer, and while she will never be a big fan of school, my daughter was doing much better.
But I still wanted to make this mosaic - not just for my daughter, but for all those who have struggled with bullying. Words can hold so much power - they can cause pain, upset and negativity. So when I saw a call for art for an international exhibition, it was the perfect excuse to make this mosaic.
I’d finally figured out how I wanted the piece to look - how to convey the build up of small pieces to bigger chunks of rock, and how to lay the smalti to show the crushing effect the words had, but also that there was still a shining soul underneath. I abandoned my first attempt from over a year ago and started afresh.
I’d like to say everything went smoothly from there but it wasn’t quite plain sailing. I had planned to work on my mosaic throughout September to meet the end of month deadline for the exhibition but then I got Covid and was really unwell.
I’d almost accepted that I wouldn’t be entering the exhibition, but as I started to regain some energy I thought I’d give it a try - I’d make a start and if I finished in time I’d submit to the exhibition, but if not the mosaic would still be made.
It sounds very logical and reasonable but once I got started I was determined to finish. I ended up working on it far later than I should have in order to make the deadline. But it was worth it, as the mosaic was juried into the exhibition, giving it a platform to be seen by a wider audience.
So there you have it, it has been a bit of a journey to make this particular mosaic, but I am pleased with the final outcome.
Finally, here’s a few key points to take away from this experience.
A finished mosaic does not appear from nowhere. Ideas need time to formulate - whether in your mind or through sketchbooks and experiments.
There can be more than one way to represent an idea - I went through several options before deciding on this one.
Your choice of materials is important - they can add an extra layer of meaning to the mosaic.
This blog post was adapted from one of my weekly emails. If you have enjoyed reading it and would like to receive similar posts direct to your inbox, you can subscribe to my mailing list using the form at the bottom of the page.