Timeless connections ~ the Calder community mosaic
June 1, 2018
Calder Community Mosaic from the forecourt of Calder Library — photo, Spacemakeplace Design
Lustrous and luscious, the Calder Community Mosaic’s triangular tiles invite touch. More than 7,500 custom-cut glass tiles converge into a myriad of shapes – diamonds, lines, stars, circles, spirals, and zigzags to communicate the community’s diversity and history. Interspersed throughout are references to the old railroad spur that ran through the neighbourhood, hints of traditional patterns and textiles, and the natural landscape. Created for the brand-new Calder Library’s Community Room by Vancouver-based collective, Spacemakeplace Design – aka Rebecca Bayer & David Gregory – the artwork took almost two years and a lot of community consultation to realize.
Coming from fine arts and architecture backgrounds, Rebecca Bayer says the Call to Canadian Artists, issued in 2015, sparked the duo’s interest. “There are some common themes in our work – trying to speak to things coming together, interconnections between people and place. This mosaic is a different version of a project we had worked on in the past — a floor for a new Community Centre that incorporated patterns from that community. We worked with the City of Richmond archives to research patterns from groups of people who have lived in the area since long ago and those who are now also settled there. For the Calder project, we wanted to zoom further in and find a way to weave together individual input from present-day community, so we proposed a series of pattern-making workshops with various community groups where each person could potentially add their own piece to this multifaceted puzzle.”
Last year, with the generous assistance of various community liaisons, the artists visited the Africa Centre, Al Rashid Mosque, North West Edmonton Seniors Centre, the Grade 5&6 classes at Calder School, Edmonton Aboriginal Seniors Centre, and the existing Calder Library. “There was no set pattern agenda — we had a huge folder full of examples from around the world that everyone was welcome to look through — people were asked to get inspired and just create whatever came to mind within the provided equilateral triangle grid. We had a couple of pattern-making options available – they could fill in a larger template grid with coloured cardboard tiles, or they could fill in a smaller grid using pencil crayons. More than 200 people — all ages, from 3 or 4 to seniors, came out. It was fun to meet people from the community.”
When a diverse group gets together, sharing and storytelling happen. Rebecca says at least one bit of history made it into the bottom left hand corner of the mosaic. “One of the women from the senior centre was telling us about how the Calder community developed around the infrastructure of the railway. She wrote out one of the stories for us, and created a pattern of green and brown stripes that represents the old rails.”
Like a community, the individual voices have entwined into a cohesive, albeit vibrant, identity. “It’s a woven gestalt idea – taking lots of little patterns with the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, so we tried to weave them together so they flow in and out of each other,” explains David Gregory.
“We collected 250 patterns through the workshops. Each was documented, translated into a digital format then imported into the Illustrator program where we could layer everything. We had 250 layers in the Illustrator file so we could play with things going on top or behind. It was a long process. This final artwork is version is Z‑12. We went through the entire alphabet A‑Z and then kept going!”
Listening to the artists talk about the intricacies of graphics programs, one can automatically think “21st century digital art” instead of “ancient medium”. Rebecca says the appeal is timeless and relevant to this space. “Mosaic has a long, long history of being used by many cultures in public spaces – we are trying to create a contemporary project using a traditional medium. Mosaics can last for thousands of years and it’s nice to think that this artwork might be around for a long time. With this kind of glass, the images will never fade, the colours and the material are both strong. In a space like a library, where people are supposed to be curious, you want them to touch the art so it can’t be too fragile or precious.”
Each element from tile shape to colours, is carefully considered, she says. “The triangle represents strength – if you’re building, the triangle is the strongest shape you can use, so that idea of strength is important. Colour choices were inspired by the Alberta landscape – they represent the sky and the landscape through the seasons.”
Alberta’s bitterly cold days are represented through glittering mirrored tiles scattered throughout the mural. “We definitely wanted to represent ice and winter! However, the tiles also reflect light depending on the day or time of year. Symbolically, and practically they also reflect the neighbourhood. When you are looking at the mosaic, you are also part of it because of the reflective portions. Individuals can stand in front and actively be part of it.”
Both artists admit to feeling a sense of happiness and fulfillment as the final layer of dust is polished from the mosaic. “One of the main themes of Spacemakeplace is interconnection,” says Rebecca, “connecting people, place, and/or history. We have really enjoyed working on this project and sharing a little part of the Calder neighbourhood. We hope that over time people who come to the new Calder Library continue to tell stories and be proud that they are a voice in their community.”
