All posts filed under: Mosaics around the world

Where Porcelain comes from

As part of my residency to explore the interfaces between mosaic and porcelain craft I went on an excursion to Jingdezhen, the birthplace of porcelain. We took the train to ride slow into history. Porcelain production started first time in the world in the area around Jingdezhen in the 11 century. Here the craftsmen first experimented with the special earths found in the area that are needed to fire pure white and often delicately thin vessels. It soon became the highly sought and expensively traded “white gold”. Jingdezhen is a small city in the middle of China. Everyone who has a window to the street sells porcelain or pottery. Even the street lamps are exhibiting porcelain. Unfortunately the historic area with the ancient kilns dating back to the 11 century was under reconstruction. See below. But the large porcelain museum at the city fringe shows a detailed history of porcelain craft on 4 floors.  It was nice to see the craft very much alive and we could lay hands on the pottery wheel feeling the …

A stroll through Paris

On my way to Berlin I stopped over in Paris to finally see our grandson Lukas. He lives with his parents downtown near the Bastille and so I walked through the narrow streets around there with the stroller. Lifting my head up, I often noted small icons made of mosaic. The small figures they depict often resemble the creatures of early computer games adding modernity to the medieval beauty of the city centre. They are small often just discovered by a quick gaze up a building making you smile as they are colourful and cute. A couple of weeks later this beautiful mosaic at the entrance of the SoHo house in Paris tumbled into my inbox. I so much appreciate friends sending me their mosaic discoveries. Austin wrote about his impression of the mosaic: “cool minimalist, gestural mosaic – I think it is a super lovely piece”  

Mosaic Discovery in Berlin

Last year on a beautiful blue sky summer day I walked from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Spittelmarkt – always along the Spree and later the Spree Kanal. It’s a wonderful walk that I could recommend every visitor of this vibrant city. I was stepping through a lot of history of this city and my own life. Without intentionally looking for them I saw several mosaics on the way. On Bertold-Brecht- Platz stands a typical Berlin late 1900 multi story building which houses the famous restaurant “Ganymed” . Above the entrance door with the restaurants name (also a mosaic) you find in an imaginary niche another small beautiful mosaic. The mosaic was installed in 1892/93 to attract visitors to the theater “Berliner Ensemble” . Only in 1997 it was discovered again. The workshop “ wandwerk” restored this mosaic to its full beauty. Walking on along the Spree Canal my glance gets attracted by a huge mural on the Friedrichsgracht 58. It’s the mural “ Man, measure of all things” by Walter Womacka, who has designed this epic …