The floating mosaic elements in Aquasphere evoke a serene and tranquil underwater world in the new Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Medical Center. Located on “Main Street”, the mosaic installation welcomes visitors to the center. There are seven sea forms, created from over 200 different types of tesserae that offer continuing interest through shape, reflectivity, rhythm and scale.
With special thanks as always to Leigh Davis, trusty assistant extraordinaire! Thanks also to Laticrete International for their fabulous technical support and kind donation of 255 Multimax Adhesive and 1500 Sanded Grout.
The impact of Aquasphere intensifies from the unexpected juxtapositions of one piece next to another, interacting in multiple ways: color, scale, texture, reflectivity and so on. Creatively, the decisions about each tessera’s size and shape and color and how it interacts with the pieces around it were crucial. A huge variety of materials were used that were sourced from around the world: glass tiles from over ten manufacturers, multiple types of ceramic, marble gems, smalti, art glass, vintage mosaic glass and more. In all, more than 200 different kinds of tile from over were used in the project. The mosaic is grouted using a hand-colored “fresco” grout technique developed by Sonia for Children’s Medical. The shifting colors add depth and visual stimulation.
Mosaic element
Detail
Mosaic element
Detail
Mosaic element