Day Four
November 4th, 2004
Grouting and Final Preps for Celebrations.
Writen By Shylene Schlackl & Participants

Documentation has to come down today…

Only a few written entries have come in before today, so we have our work cut out for us.

There have been a few short writings, including Limericks, a rap and a 'Haiku'. They are fun and clever.

Once a lovely lass from Victoria,
Came a long, long way to tell a storia.
In the casualty ward,
We were all over ~ awed,
By the creations inspired by Victoria.

By: Veronica Heywood

A great addition to Mosaic the City, as we have yet to get this kind of documentation. Its so great how each project brings new ideas and ways of expanding the ideas of sharing our Community Unity. Great :)

So everyone worked the morning away on the documentation and presentation of the project, plus final preparation for the celebration tomorrow afternoon.

Each group needs to have a storyboard, a project sign/title and a short presentation to introduce their project's themes and story to the guests. They have their work cut out for them, as they have mostly left their writing until now.

Group Three….

Group four….

Grouting is top of the list. But first we must check… check… check. This 'fix-n-grout' isn't my favorite product. It would be perfect for a simple floor or wall installation, but not great for mosaic. I much prefer the cement and acrylic stuff… But the hospital could only allow certain products and we have also had issues with the grouting mud water. I have always hated this hard part of the project. Grout is the hardest part. I always seem to under-estimate the actual work needed in grouting. I guess I am always just hoping for the best experience.

Group Four: Bridges and Growth

Mosaic The City
Blue, yellow, silver, scarlet
Streets that were never
Paved in gold

Journal By: Edel Campbell
"…technical issues can often get in the way of creating meaningful art as many people feel that they are no good and can end up feeling despondent when pushed, believing that their attempts are silly and 'not what you'd call art'. For me, getting people beyond this point, opening up their eyes to the limitless possibilities of what CAN be, is the greatest goal. The Mosaic The City Project is a wonderful tool. It's like giving a bag of words to someone who says they 'cant string a sentence together.' Communities are everywhere but they only become visible when they work together. The act of creating a mosaic is simple and complex at the same time. Each little piece of tile/wood/glass/metal… is of equal importance and the end result is only as brilliant as its individual parts, much like communities themselves. I believe that the 'Mosaic The City' project is a living metaphor for Community Unity itself.

I feel privileged to have been a part of Shylene, Jonathan & John's bringing the idea to Ireland and to have worked with Deborah Moon and Sarah Dobbs and the whole team of people beavering away behind the scenes. It was an inspiration to see so many 'Yes' people insisting that things just happen - not happening was never a possibility, only perhaps the 'how' might change. The team of participants worked incredibly well together and although at times the pressure to get things done got quite intense it seemed only to bring people closer, with the realization that only good team work would get the job done in the end."

Although we were short on time, we had to make room for all sorts of information on the resources of the community. One of the lead questions from the group was around the financing side of a project.

So today we had a guest speaker from CREATE, Arthur Duignan. He came and talked to the group about finding funding in Ireland, about project organization and how to really have a successful project. Again this presentation was a wonderful addition to the project. We have given the participants much information about this community and the resources available within.

Group Two: TCAC as Junction between Art and Community

Journal By: Martina Carroll:
"The documentation of the story, told in the final image, presented a greater challenge than we could have imagined. What emerged in the visual image was more than the simple story that initiated its creation. Confronted with this explosively powerful image, the bright yellow shards of tile like shrapnel, smashing the border and scattering people, our feeble attempts to narrate our simple tale in words fell apart as the picture began to tell its own story. This beautiful image is both powerful and terrifying."

Issues:
1) The TCAC has run into some printer issues and the groups didn't have their printed materials to use for their storyboards and signs. This illustrates how leaving things to the last minute is not such a great idea. It reminds me of my times in college and university when you burned the midnight oil trying to get the paper completed then went to print only a few hours before its due, and the printer goes kaput… leaving you in a total panic to find another printer.

Funny how your lessons in life can repeat themselves….

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The gang at the TCAC had their work cut out for them….

2) We were all so busy working, that I have no photos of this day. No record of the mad grouting or crazy worker bees that totally took over the space.

3) This grout was very hard to use. With the mixture of sizes and thickness of tiles, it's usually a task to work on these types, but this grout made it very hard to work around. Oh well, we know for later.

Once again it's always a learning curve for me....

At the end of today on top of the grouting & documentation we needed to clean up the room in prep for the floors to be cleaned for tomorrows big celebration event.. The Pressure… ahhh!!!

It was so hard to leave today.. the grouting wasn't totally cleaned.. ahh the pressure to be done in five days, to grout with new products, to be out by 6pm.. today was a very hard day for everyone.

Good work team.. …. You all pulled together and truly accomplished a heck-of-a lot of work today!!!!!

One day left.. tomorrow here we come.