In December 2012, I had already reported a mosaic project at the University of Tübingen. There, a team led by Luciano Bonzini has laid a path of black and white pebbles across the new campus. The technology behind it, the Ligurian “Rissëu” is the oldest form of mosaic at all.
How such a mosaic is created is shown in the video above of La Repubblica TV (video by Pier Paolo Rinaldi). Luca Riggio and Luciano Bonzini show the various steps to completion of a pebble mosaic at the entrance to a newly renovated villa in Santa Margherita. The long bricks are placed vertically in a mixture of sand, lime and cement and pressed with a rubber hammer. Then again, the joints are filled with material and the mosaic is well watered. In this way, it attains a strength and durability that can withstand thousands of years.
Luciano also teaches how to make Rissëu mosaics. Here you find informations on his website.
That’s beautiful! What are the lime/sand/cement/water proportions and how much time do they have before it sets up?