Dundee City Centre - Retrospective
This 5 meter diameter mosaic forms the entrance to Discovery Point Visitor Centre, Dundee, where Captain Scott’s ship, the Discovery, is moored.
It is a wonderful example of how a pebble mosaic can bring a handmade & human touch to a plain paved area.
When commissioned by the local council, Maggy was given a simple brief to design a mosaic based on a compass. Maggy likes to reflect the spirit-of–place, & searches for themes of
particular meaning for the local residents.
The mosaic features 8 different “winds” represented by unique characterful faces each blowing towards the centre. Each face has complex shading achieved with combinations of various Grey Speckled pebbles. The winds themselves are made from handpicked red granite.
Local slate has been cut to form half of the points forming the compass arrows, with the rest being filled with White Limestone pebbles handpicked from Anglesey. Also in the centre is an example of how slate can be great as a canvas for text as each letter has been skilfully hand carved.
Maggy was asked to incorporate 8 old port bollards into the mosaic, an excellent way to link some history to the artwork.
Fitting a mosaic like this is always a careful procedure and must be done with caution as to avoid damaging any of the mosaic. Maggy and Mark supervised the mosaic installation continuously, using local labour already on site. They then complete the job personally by grouting the joints between the slabs of mosaic.
Mosaics like this are very robust. Even with over twenty years of foot traffic, the mosaic is still in excellent condition and will be for many years to come.