Extraordinary -- "Five Sisters" at York Minster

Photos by Shannon Tofts/Culture24

When we first saw the video below we were, to put it mildly, gobsmacked. Mosaicist/Painter Emma Biggs and her husband Painter/Writer Matthew Collings have created something quite extraordinary in their installation "Five Sisters" at York Minster. The work was commissioned by the York Museums Trust as is composed of a mosaic comprised of 12th Century pottery shards and two strikingly abstract contemporary paintings.



There is an excellent review from Culture 24 by Emily Mears that offers still more insight into the project. Please check it out. (click here)

Emma consistently pushes our expectations for contemporary mosaics and has been an inspiration for me since I began working in mosaics. This line from a book she co-authored with Tessa Hunkin in 2001 still rings in my ears whenever I approach a new work: "Good design has to strike a balance between the simple and concise, and restraint to the point of boredom."*

I get it. But, I also get that there's nothing boring about Emma at all. Oh, to be in England.

The installation will remain in place until November 1, 2009.

Emma Biggs Website

Enjoy -- Nancie

* Quote from "Outdoor Mosaic" Emma Biggs and Tessa Hunkin, 2001, Trafalgar Square Publishing