Perimeters, margins and borders : a developing mosaic

Stanley, Jan (2013) Perimeters, margins and borders : a developing mosaic. Fraser of Allander Economic Commentary, Special E (4). pp. 11-17. ISSN 2046-5378

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Abstract

In her book "Finding Beauty in a Broken World," environmental and ecosystems writer Terry Tempest Williams (2008) described the art of creating mosaics. She discussed the process of cutting and placing small colored tiles called tesserae to form the work’s images. Cut, color and placement work together to move light across the piece, illuminating and bringing the completed mosaic to life. Intentional, subtle variations in the hue of individual tesserae accent and give depth to the work, often blending to suggest a consistency of color that is not really there. Perception varies depending on the position of the viewer—the mosaic is seen differently up close than from a distance and again differently from varied angles. Spaces between the tesserae contribute to this. In the play of light and definition of images, interstices and irregular edges are as important as the tesserae themselves. In Tempest Williams’s words, the “gaps between the tesserae speak their own language,” and “there is a perfection in imperfection.” Readers are reminded often that "the play of light is the first and last rule of mosaic."

  • Item type:Article
    ID code:67439
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    30 September 2013
    Published
    Notes:Published in the "Special Edition: Economic and social aspects of Peripheral regions" as part of the Fraser of Allander Economic Commentary.
    Subjects:Social Sciences > Economic Theory
    Law > Law of the United Kingdom and Ireland > Scotland
    Department:UNSPECIFIED
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:27 Mar 2019 15:13
    Last modified:11 Nov 2024 12:16
    Related URLs:
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/67439
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