I make mosaics – Huh?

Does this sound familiar to you?

You’re at a party talking to someone you have only known that evening. At a certain moment you get asked: So what do you do for a living? and your answer is: I make mosaics. Your interlocutor makes faces in a mixture of incomprehension, irritation and disbelief.

Maybe some of these questions follow:

That means you lay tiles in bathrooms?
So you’re a restorer?
Really? So mosaics are still made?

It is clear that hardly anyone can imagine that an old craft as mosaic is still practiced. There are few studios and training opportunities. And people nowadays often think of surfaces and interiors that are embellished with industrially produced material when you speak of mosaic. To understand what mosaic making means today you have to feel the surfaces, see people working with the tools and get acquainted with the many techniques it offers.

On my blog I publish artist interviews, reports on mosaic techniques and tell about my education in Spilimbergo. I’m doing educational work, so to speak.

To show all the trends that exist today in the field of mosaic making in a few minutes, I have created the video above. As a kind of response to the many questions people ask me who have never seen how mosaic is made. Maybe it will serve you when someone asks you what you do in your life.

Who and what is shown in the video?

For the creation of the video I have used a lot of material from interviews I produced for this blog. And I filmed a lot in school this May.

My sincere thanks are given to:

Students and teachers at Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli
Arab Mosaico
CaCO3
KOKO Mosaico
Marco De Luca
MOSAIZM
Naghmeh Farahvash
Sergio Policicchio
Zäch Mosaike

Join the Conversation

25 Comments

  1. says: Nancie Mills Pipgras

    Miriam, your video is absolutely marvelous! You have such a gift for communicating what makes mosaic so special, unique and totally relevant to today. I will be sharing this video through all the MAN social media and as soon as it’s on YouTube, I’ll add it to MAN TV. Just wonderful. Congratulations! I am sure that many a mosaic artist is going to be forcing their friends and family in front of the computer screen very soon!

    1. says: Karla Duterloo

      What a beautiful video. Love all the work that is done at your school. I was privileged to do a summer course at the school , taking lots of breaks to have a look over and over at the work exhibited in the hall ways…..love the patterns and the colours used….

      1. says: miriam

        Thank you dear Karla! In fact the longer I am here at school, the more often I stand in the hallways looking at the works. If you ever come over again, let me know and we share some moments of watching :-)

  2. says: Solly

    Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and the great work that goes on in Spilimbergo. When someone asks, I will refer them to this video!

    1. says: miriam

      Thank you dear Solly! Please don’t forget that many of the mosaic works shown in this video were filmed outside Spilimbergo, among them Udine, Ravenna and Berlin. It was important for me to show different places and techniques in the video.

  3. says: Linda Archinal

    Lovely and inspiring. Taking it down to the essence and the expanding form of this art. Thank you I will be sharing this!

  4. says: jan meng

    Such a beautiful video. I love the textures and dimensions of the work. Gorgeous colors! Mosaic work from every angle and expression. I can’t get the work out of my head. Thank you for the bits and pieces whirling in my brain. Peace.

    1. says: miriam

      Dear Jan, so beautiful to read these lines. And I am happy that the works inspire you! Because that is what I aim to do with the video!

  5. says: Linda Archinal

    I reposted in my 3-D substrate for mosaics group and the vid has generated a lot of ‘thank you’s’ for posting and ‘this is great!’ As it is… A question did come up and I’m wondering if you have the answer. On the hanging arrangement for the ball is this reinforced at the bottom and glued in? Thanks again for this vid and look forward to your next blog.

  6. says: Carole Choucair Oueijan

    Lovely video!
    I enjoyed every statement, work and angle… Very inspiring!
    Congratulation!
    Carole

  7. As an academic exercise, this video would certainly get you top marks. An original and imaginative illustration of what constitutes mosaic art within a succinct historical setting including some current trends coming out of Italy.

  8. says: sabina

    And just like with clothes, there is not an answer to the infamous question: ‘but how much does a mosaic cost??’ It depends: it can be an Armani or an H&M :-)
    By the way, these video is WONDERFUL !!!!
    Thank you

    1. says: miriam

      Thank you Sabina! Very true: there definitely is high fashion and simple clothes out there :-) Take care!

    1. says: miriam

      Thank you dear Heather! And why not share a link to the video in your application?
      Best regards
      Miriam

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