{"id":4367,"date":"2015-11-12T23:14:17","date_gmt":"2015-11-12T23:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glitteringshards.com\/blog\/?p=4367"},"modified":"2015-11-12T23:14:17","modified_gmt":"2015-11-12T23:14:17","slug":"online-mosaic-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glitteringshards.com\/blog\/online-mosaic-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Behind the glass’ mosaic exhibition: call for submissions"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u00a0Behind the glass: <\/span><\/h1>\n

the inner world of mosaic artists<\/span><\/h1>\n

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We live in a time of art and craft revival, where people are re-discovering the joy of making and the connection between creative expression and well-being.\u00a0 Running quietly alongside this welcome trend is a long history of art as therapy, both in the clinical sense and in the radical edges of the Outsider Art<\/a> movement. From the suicidal intent in the poems of Silvia Plath<\/a> to the joyful paintings of Agnes Martin<\/a>, creative expression has long been considered as linked to both mental well-being and mental suffering (Jamison, 2011).<\/p>\n

Whilst this idea is generalisable across all forms of creative expression, there is a strong sense in the mosaic-making community that our beloved medium is unique in its ability to facilitate an intimate relationship between the maker and their inner experience – be that one of well-being, distress or recovery from life’s adversities. Some\u00a0 would argue that the practice of mosaic creates a direct and deeply attentive link between hand, head and heart during the making process (Severini 1952, Sizemore 2012)<\/p>\n

Many mosaic makers, both amateur and professional, work from a sense of intuitive knowing <\/em>that the act of mosaic-making is intrinsically linked to their emotional and mental well-being.<\/p>\n

However, the relationship between mosaic making and mental health is not necessarily linear or one-way. Is our mental health (or ill health) the source of our creative expression or is our creative expression a way of maintaining or influencing our mental health? Or both?<\/p>\n

\"Learn<\/p>\n

Sometimes this relationship is obvious. At other times the relationship is more hidden, as if looking through an opaque glass. This is when the urge to create and the compulsive act of making – of \u2018going with the flow\u2019<\/em> of the mosaic – takes on a life of its own. Indeed, many talk of the mosaic itself<\/em> taking on a life of its own, much like the characters in a book at the hand of a passionate author. Suddenly, the implicit movements of the mind and heart come out from behind the glass.<\/p>\n

This online exhibition is an exploration of this link between mosaic-making and the mental and emotional states of the mosaic-maker. The exhibition will go live on this website on 10th December 2015.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It is hoped that the resulting online exhibition will develop into a book that celebrates the inward-outward journey of mosaic-makers and their art.<\/p>\n

If you would like to submit a photo of one of your mosaics for consideration, please follow the instructions below :<\/p>\n

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Instructions for submitting a mosaic piece to the online exhibition<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n