Magnificient mosaic art
THE beautiful Hotel Penaga mosaic drew gasps of admiration as the colourful piece was unveiled for visitors to the boutique hotel in Lebuh Clarke.
The wall piece was the collaborative effort by three Australian and American artists who finished the mosaic in barely a month.
Inspired by ‘the shyness of trees’ – a botanical phenomenon that sees trees of the same species in the forest separated by a gap so that the leaves of one does not touch the other, the artists created the mosaic using pebbles, broken paving stones, ceramic and glass.
From Italian and Mexican glass to water-worn stones, each piece fits perfectly into the wall like a piece of missing puzzle.
The huge mosaic also spills to the floor of the hotel’s rear verandah, and showcases unique elements of Penang’s famous tales, such as how Francis Light fired gold coins into the forest to encourage locals to clear the land when he first arrived here.
The coins were represented by blue and white porcelain fragments salvaged from a shipwreck off Vietnam.
A stream of engraved lines scored into the granite connects the doorways and the mosaic, representing a river that used to run through Tanjung Penaga, or what is today, George Town. Hotel co-owner Angela Hijjas said artists would be invited to stay at Penaga to create works in the studio or elsewhere on the island.
-News courtesy of The Star-
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