Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Installation of the Taliesin Stones

Site conditions are at long last dry enough to progress with the
placement of the stones at Strata Florida. I left from Kent before 4.45am and the stones left the Midlands somewhere near Stafford, I dont know what time they started but they got to Strata Florida about 3minutes before me. I saw several sheep happily munching grass by the roadside in the lanes approaching Strata Florida, not something I'm used to. But they were chilled and didnt seem to mind being on the wrong side of the fence!

finished stone left my
workshop several weeks
ago, stayed in storage.

arrival at Strata Florida,
it's a bigger lorry than
I was expecting!

The unloading of the stones went very smoothly and the driver was very patient and helpfull. The grass outside was firm and dry and our fears of a juggernaught getting stuck on the mud just outside were not realised, it was sunny. The only week of sun  after a couple of months consistant rain (even the hose pipe ban in Kent was lifted) no such problems here it seems.


easy when you got the
right equipment

lorry driver was the first
to sit on the Taliesin Stone

We set the stones out in a arc, so they provided a photo opportunity for visitors to sit on in front of the famous doorway. It all went with military prescion, no straps broke, no damage done and lorry did'nt get stuck. Smashing. Then soon after the lorry went a visiting family came and sat on the stones and started walking round following the lines of poetry that spiral round it.

No let me read it it says, .....Pass   Through this door   Into Christ, the
expanding      .Universe. Dimension:
  They asked me how long has it been here then?
 
I said about 10 minutes.Are we the first to see it then? yes thats right did you not see the giant lorry/crane and us lswinging them into place?   No missed that, looks like they have been here for ages...............


Find your own elsewhere.



Below is a slide show covering the making and installation of the feature at Strata Florida.


Sunday, July 1, 2012

The Mosaic Sign at Strata Florida

One of the open day events at Strata Florida Abbey was a mosaic workshop. This was was open to all visitors and produced an archway or door made in mosaic. This was glued onto paper temporarily untill I had the time to make it into some kind of finished work. At the end of the open day event I took away a piece of off-cut slate left at the site, and I thought the mosaic arch could be inserted into the slate to create a sign.


the inspiration for our sign

visitors making the mosaic

wetting the paper and peeling off to reveal the mosaic

the finished inlaid mosaic sign.
  I have uploaded a selection of images to create a slide show showing the sign being made at the initial mosaic workshop, and then its progression through several stages untill finished. It looks good in my back garden at the moment, but when I next travel to the site I will hand it over the staff at Strata Florida.