Art, community and belonging

Furzedown Kite Mosaic

For ages I have had this idea of using mosaics as a way of promoting a sense of community and belonging…

The idea has rumbled in my head for years…to create a mosaic trail round a neighbourhood, inviting people to make a mosaic that depicts a community symbol…

…and for the mosaics that are made to be displayed in people’s porches, front of houses, windows..so that over time, a trail develops and people walk around seeing the community mosaics here and there and wondering “Why do I keep seeing that, what is it about?” or feeling “We have a community around us, we are part of something bigger“.

Furzedown Kite Mosaic

Then it struck me, not only do we have a thriving community right here in our neighbourhood, which boasts its own Yahoo group 1500 strong, an annual Festival and Fun Day (coming up this Saturday!), but we also have a symbol! If you draw a line around the boundary of our ward (the smallest political division of land in the UK), it makes the form of a kite. For years, the Furzedown Kite has been used as a symbol of the neighbourhood.

So…for the last 4 weeks, past Glittering Shards students from the neighbourhood and myself have gathered in in my studio to cut glass and tiles in preparation for the first Furzedown Mosaic Trail!

Mosaic Furzedown Kite

I advertised it for the first time this week and immediately, people started to book  and email to say how they thought it was such a wonderful idea.

The mosaic trail comes out of feeling passionately that art (making and owning) should be a communal, not just individual, experience. This is  just a small way of contributing to that.

If you are local, all the details are here.

If you are not local, why not start one in your neighbourhood?

10 Responses to “Art, community and belonging”

Read below or add a comment...

  1. Laura says:

    BRILLIANT! I love this!

  2. moyra says:

    I love that. I think that mosaic is a particularly good symbol too, like patchwork it is made up of tiny pieces coming together to make a whole. I totally LOVE your mosaic trail – its like a coming together, and it willl bring magic with it. (not that you are lacking magic! – but more is always awesome!!)

    • Concetta says:

      Thanks for the encouragement Moyra and more magic is grand – send it my way!! x

  3. Anya Mosaics says:

    I am very proud of you! Will be nice to have a trail map out to follow and hope you become a cult figure like the Gromits in Bristol!

  4. Beautiful idea Concetta – lovely to do community work – so uplifting ! X

  5. Dorothy Burke says:

    Hello. Great Idea. I would love to join in the kite trail. I coordinate a couple of groups in Perth Western Australia including the State branch of the Mosaic Association (MAANZ). We are planning a workshop in the next few weeks and will make kites and start a trail in Perth.

Trackbacks

  1. […] It’s an idea I had years ago – to start a mosaic trail that becomes a map that people can follow in an area as well as a symbol that gives a sense of belonging to people as they walk round their neighbourhood. The idea lay dormant for quite a while and came to life last summer when I realised I could start it right on my doorstep – we have a vibrant community network as well as our own little symbol – the lovely kite. Read more about the mosaic trail here. […]