PIECE BY PIECE

SHORT DOCUMENTARY

I decided to embark on a journey to create a 15 minute documentary about the benefits of mosaic art as a therapeutic relief method.

The inspiration for this project came from assisting in the realization of the Mosaic Project for the High Rise Apartments organized by Worcester Housing Community under the creative directions of mosaic artist Victoria Harrison and artist and art therapist Pam White. At first I was attracted by the notion of mosaic art as a durable art-form and how its permanent nature allows us to glance 4000 years in the past and be certain that creating a mosaic piece means embedding a signature that will last for generations to come.

I visited the center for almost four months and documented the evolution of the mosaic piece as well as the changing moral of the contributors.

As part of my research I visited the Roman Villa in Chedworth and consulted several papers offered by the British Association of Art Therapists (http://www.baat.org) and also read several articles and books on the subject of art therapy.

The mosaic artist, Cristine Jariwala, was most helpful in her insights as how this craft can heal and bring more than comfort to patients, as it can raise moral, establish a bond between the artist and the patient thus helping the person overcome social anxiety usually caused by their affliction.