Tour of the Subway mosaics.

So today we carried on working on our sections. As you can see people are really beginning to get involved in their own work.  Isidora held short meetings on both sides of the entrance to let people know that they did not need to take all the tiles they needed for the entire project, but just for that day!! A rumour had started that they only had a little bright yellow tiles left  and panic tile collecting had ensued. 

It was also discussed that some officials were a little worried about the content of our mosaics. I think it is finally dawning on the Municipal that when you invite International artists to come and mosaic a magical garden anything could pop up in there. As Isidora explained, it was too late now ask to have creative control of the project. 

The main bone's of contention seem to be the Gnome,  the bottle of wine, the Indian goddess and the 3 skulls  - none of which they were expecting in the 'flora and fauna' of Chile. 

It was also discovered that it was Isidora's birthday - and that later that day we would be walking along the length of the mosaics completed by Isidora and her team of artists. That is 84 pillars and two metro startions.  I will post up post just about this work, and include many close-ups so you can really see how they are made. But this is something I need to do on my return to the UK. 

But I can say that I was completed blown away by them and we all helped Isidora celebrate her birthday as we toured them. 

Caroline Jariwala from UK 

Gabriel Guyra from Brazil work. 

Sunita's Story - how mosaics can change your life and those of your community.

Lunch with the Mayor Mr German Godina

So we hardly had time to get started this morning, before being whisked off for lunch with the Mayor.

We went to Gabriela's Park -  some  beautiful grounds that were owned by the Municipal. It is just a few blocks from where we are working. There we were met by the wonderful site of tables laid out for us in the gardens. We were served some amazing corn pie, a very traditional Chilean dish, with salad and wine. The Mayor was late because he was in a helicopter viewing the fires that are burning in the mountains behind us.  Apparently they have no available equipment to put the fire's out as there are many bigger ones to deal with around the country.
It is a strange backdrop to our idyllic lunch in the park - an apocalyptic mushroom of smoke rising from the mountains.

After a little more wine some of the artists started to dance and really get the party started. I believe even the Mayor had a little bop about.

Many of the artists were beginning to worry, like myself that we would not have time to complete our work.  If we were to finish at 5 each day, but lose so many half days to lunches and walks etc how would we finish our mosaics.  I think it was becoming obvious to the Chilean artists that many of us worked a lot slower than them, and for many this was the  first time to use ceramic tiles, the direct method or just to work on this scale of piece.
It was decided that we could work later - if we agreed to all carry our own materials and tools back to the lockup at the end of the day. We would also be able to work Saturday too.
For me this meant I could relax a little and think I might actually have time to start to get to know my fellow artists.

Day One - The Official Opening..

 Let the games begin…..

Everyone starts to arrive outside the town hall. I meet many of my mosaic friends from around the world – I can’t believe that so many of them have come here. 

Isidora explains about the overall design and it is decided that our listed number on the official poster should also become the number of where we should mosaic on the wall.

Because we arrived early and before this decision was made we have inadvertently mixed up a little of the placements and upset a couple of the artists.  Others want to trade places to be near friends and work colleagues   so slowly everyone settles to their places and get busy with their designs.

Before we could get too involved in our work the Mayor turned up. The municipal had set up large canopy’s outside the town hall and it was here that they announced each International artists. The Mayor presented us with a bag containing nippers, gloves, grout spreader, apron, cap and an intinery   for the next two weeks.  I presented him with a lovely Winston Churchill tie.  Many photographers and camera’s were present to document the ‘official’ opening on this project.  The Mayor was a rather dashing ‘Boris Johnston’ type – he had a ‘day time’ TV presenter feel to him and quickly won over the International artists talking and joking with each one.

After the excitement of the grand opening we had a quick snack and it was back to work.

It was explained that all the tiles were stored in a lock up just around the corner and we must go collect them in a bucket and bring them to our space. This was the moment of truth – the time we would first see what a wonderful pallet of ceramic colour awaited us.

I was quite shocked really, as there was not the range I had expected. There were quite a few, and these were gorgeous but not the variety I had expected. For example there was only 3 greens to pick from.  I realized how well designed the work is of the Chilean team as they use these colours so well – contrasting them so well.  Also many of the tiles were lower fired (more porous) than I had expected. I think they would be sold as interior wall tiles in the UK.  I am not sure these same tiles would be useable out door in the UK without the risk of the glaze falling off in frost. 

Anyway after waiting for out turn in the tile container we filled out buckets with tiles and returned to start on our section. I laid out all the printed tiles that I had brought along to use.

The technique was to basically cut each tile to fit a small section drawn on the wall in black, butter the back of the tile  with some ready made adhesive and pushed it onto the wall.

The first tile I fixed had ‘Have Hope’ printed on it – the second ‘Ten Esperanza’ -  a cultural exchange of words  right from the start.

Designs on walls – a weekend to prepare!

For the first two days we accompanied Isidora to the town hall. Even though I had seen this building in photo’s and looked on it up on  google earth, nothing could prepare us for the size of the place. It’s an imposing, colonial styled building. It’s also very white and clinical looking.

Later we would hear the charismatic  Mayor  describe it as “looking like a hospital”. The previous white tiles that had been on the lower section on the wall had been removed. The surface was skimmed with a  rough cement. The wall section above this line had also been prepared by having the previous white paint scraped off. 

Looking at the size of the prepared surface allowed you to finally take in the scale  of this intervention.  The Chilean team was attempting to mosaic nearly the entire front of this building – and turn it into a huge old building, overgrown with thorns and roses and beautiful creatures. From the design on paper it looked like a fairytale illustration – the classic enchanted castle – all that was missing was a princess.

But that was on paper and as yet there was only a few actual drawings on the walls. Isidora was drawings of flowers onto the wall. Each International artist was to have their own rectangle (about 1.5 m x 1m) complete with a chalked outline of a flower stetching on the  wall and many colour reference photos relating to this plant. They would be able to change this drawing but these sketches allowed them to consider the scale of the work and how they would relate to the next artist along. Also there is nothing so daunting than the blank canvas, so Isidora wanted to provide those artists who came without their own designs a starting point to work from. On this project there would be so little time to consider our own design, which is why I had come well prepared. My partner and artistic collaborator Thayen Rich had given me a black and white line drawing  and a couple of colour versions of our design.  The Treatment Rooms collective had come up with the idea of a lovely little mound of ‘Fly Agaric” mushrooms.

While Isidora  and her assistant Margarita Venegaz effortlessly chalked up over 60 designs we spent the next two days drawing up our double section of wall. After the chalk outline you are ready to commit to the definitive permanent black marker pen.  We also watched as Maria Gacitua and her brother Claudio Gacitua drew up the designs on the entrance of the town hall. These siblings work with another brother to form the mural arts team “Brigad Negotropica”
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brigada-Negotr%C3%B3pika/212027702314223?fref=ts

It looks like we will be ready for Monday now  –  but that was after watching Isidora working all over the weekend and late into the night to get the designs finished. 

As we drive back to our little camp in the mountains, I feel  the calm before the storm.  Tomorrow the town hall will come alive and all the artists will finally come together to meet for the first time.  Kick off tomorrow at 9.30am.

IN A DREAM Official Trailer

So here is a trailer for a film I watched just before leaving for Chile. It tells the wonderful story of the incredible mosaic art environments made by Isaiah Zagar and his wife. Laurel True was his apprentice for a while and I am so looking forward to working alongside her.

Arriving in Chile

After a long journey – via Atlanta we arrived at Santiago airport. The place was packed and we nervously went through passport control and customs unsure what to expect on the other side.  I always worry about them checking my case and the surreal contents they will find. Also taking large amounts of printed tiles in your case usually gets noticed.  This time the American authorities had broken off my lock and checked the entire contents – but at least it did arrived safely in Chile.  And minus a bag of smoked almonds (taken from us by border control) we finally came through the packed arrival gate.

How wonderful to be greeted by a cheering group of fellow Chilean mosaic artists waving posters and flags.  Isidora was there to put paper flower garlands around our heads and make us feel like we were arriving to some exotic, magical distant shore.  Here we stayed to help welcome each influx of artists as they arrived.  The group getting bigger and the cheering getting louder as each person arrived.  This process was to be repeated for the next couple of days as people arrived from across the world to descend on  Puente Alto for the  “1^st Intervencion Urban Internacional de mosaicos”

As busses took our fellow artists to their respective homes for the next two weeks, we went with Isidora to see the cabin we would be calling our home for the next month.

 I can’t begin to explain the breath taking beauty of the area we are staying – but a few photos should capture a little of its wonder- our own little Frida Kahlo home – complete with 3 dogs, one cat and a magnificent herb garden

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