Rachel Davies, The Weight of Words

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Country : United Kingdom

Materials : Stone, slate, dried out tile adhesive, smalti

Dimensions : 60 x 33 x 3

My daughter was bullied at high school. This mosaic is my response to the experience. A daily barrage of numerous small comments builds up, wearing away at self esteem and confidence. The black/grey area is made from waste materials; dried out tile adhesive, a broken floor tile and roof slate. I deliberately left the marks from cutting them; they are unattractive, like the cruel words they represent. The bottom section is made from precious materials – gold, iridescent and regular smalti and represents the resilience of the bullied person, weighed down by the words but still shining and beautiful.