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AWARD WINNING This mosaic mandala formed part of the award for best 'Use of Art in Healthcare Facilities' at 'The Building Better Healthcare Awards' 2006 | ||||||||||||||
October 2005
Officially opened on 6th October 2006 is this wall mosaic for the reception waiting area of a new health care centre in East Belfast. The idea of this mosaic has been to reflect on the relationship between our bodies and that essence of ourselves that we often refer to as the spirit, that part of us that does not grow old and in which lies our character and soul. | ||||||||||||||
The wall is split by a glass wall which divides the circular mosaic into two halves I imagine the waiting area being the body, people waiting to see a doctor being very conscious of the limitations of our bodies. The colours used are for the most part ceramic, rich but earthy colours. The overall feeling is settling but still full of interest, the human eye delights in pattern and seeks it out wherever it can be found. Some of the designs also use references to blood flow and to the two chemical pairs that make up DNA, which is itself transformed into colour pairs on the other side. On the other side of the wall is the children's play area, here is our spirit, still as bright and free from the everyday, though the pattern remains essentially the same, still the same person. By using mostly glass on this side the pattern is transformed. The design uses the elements of DNA to form the outer border. On the ‘body’ side this is represented by the scientific notation given to the four chemicals ACG & T. These are arranged in their pairs transforming to a colour code on the ‘spirit’ side. Is our spirit in our DNA? Further in on the ‘body’ side the red band of flowing lines represents our blood, circling the body, this transforms to mirror mosaic on the ‘spirit’ side, freed from the body. | ||||||||||||||
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This mosaic is dedicated to the memory of my friend, colleague, former work partner and Belfast mosaic maker Ruth Priestly 1957-2004 seen here on the installation of our first public mosaic commission in London 1990. | ||||||||||||||
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