All posts filed under: Community mosaics

Möckernkiez Community Mosaic

Published by gertrud

The video of the community mosaic “Möckernkiez” is here! A document of the creative work of a house community. ” I would not have thought that my neighbors could produce such beautiful designs. Now I see some of them with a whole new set of eyes.” a resident and participant in the Mosaik project told me during the opening of the first part of the Community Mosaik for House 1 in the Möckernkiez in Berlin Kreuzberg. 32 residents from the 22 apartments that use Staircase A on a daily basis each designed a mosaic tile. On May 5, the mosaic tiles were installed by me and 3 other helpers from the house in the entrance area as a frieze. Saturday, May 6, was scheduled for joint grouting. Unfortunately, no one had signed the list of helpers. We “installers”, still tired from the previous day’s concentration and physical exertion, were worried. Would we manage to grout and clean the mosaic before the inauguration which was scheduled for 3pm? We started to mix the grout. And lo …

GMMs first Community Mosaic Project in Berlin

Published by gertrud

… is being developed together with the residents of “Haus 1” at the Möckernkiez in Berlin, Kreuzberg. In December 22 I was approached by the representative of the residents association, Dagmar Köppen and later commissioned by the association to help to design and produce mosaic Frieses for the 2 entrance areas together with the people living and working in the newly developed apartment block. We started in January 2023 with a job walk to the two spaces that should be decorated with mosaic with representatives of the residents association. The decision fell to a fries made from different mosaic tiles each produced by participants from each residential unit. In an interesting process we decided collectively with 3 representatives and me on the colors of the tiles that we would offer to be used. We wanted to get to 10 colors. After seeing the space where the mosaic shall be again we did a firstround were every one of us would select 5 colors from a large selection of crayons. Then we selected the colors that …

Of checkers, flowers and hummingbirds

Published by gertrud

Yesterday afternoon at the Muzzio mosaic workshop the bell rang. It always rings when one of the 4×8” (1x2m) mosaic boards is finished. Everyone stood in awe around the table. The mosaic depicts symbols of 3 cultures: a brown and black checkered and a green thiestel head for  Scotland, blue pastell colored flowers on a white background standing for Sweden and a sparkling humming bird representing the Amah Mutsun culture which were the Indian population that lived here around Watsonville for thousands of years before the Spanish came. The population of Watsonville is characterized by many waves of immigrants that came to work in the agricultural industry since centuries. People from all over the world were drawn to California to make a better living through manual labour on the fields. Now the population of  Watsonville is 85% Mexican. From a small exhibition about the history of immigration and agriculture at the Watsonville public library I took this quote:   This is a 5 year community art project to decorate the city garage entirely with mosaics featuring …