Step 5: Community Mosaic Project

Mosaics in the Solomon Islands

Several years ago my husband was transferred to the Solomon Islands, so I went along as well.  Thinking that I probably wouldn’t get any work (which didn’t prove to be the case), I went prepared to do some mosaics.  The transport of our personal effects also included a tonne of tiles (slight exaggeration). 

Not long after arriving we met a Catholic priest who was working in a remote village that had been the centre of the civil war from 1997-2003.  He was priest for St. Joseph’s Church.  We went to visit the village, made some friends and started a mosaic project - I would do a panel for the alter and they would collect the colourful pebbles from the beach to make a large mosaic on the floor. 

I started the St Joseph panel, which was 1.2 x 2.4 meters.  It took a couple of years to complete. It was very heavy so took a while to work out how to install it safely in an earthquake zone. We framed it with hardwood and attached it to the wall of the church behind the alter. A year later, after moving Joseph to the right of the alter (as Joseph is not allowed to be represented in the alter), I completed a panel with Jesus (who was installed in the central location in the alter). Nine months later a panel with Mary was added to the left of the alter.

In the meantime the local community collected beach pebbles and used it to create this …