Στεφανία Χλουβεράκη & Θεοχάρης Κατρακάζης _ Ψηφιδωτό: Τεχνοτροπία και Τεχνικές κατασκευής

Stefania Chlouveraki & Theoharis Katrakazis - Mosaic: Technique and Construction Techniques

Seminar Type: Workshop - Practical

Participant Level: All levels

Teaching Hours:  5-6 hours /day

A few words about the mosaics: The first mosaics were made with natural pebbles, while later on, mosaicists began to cut natural rocks into small cubes, known as  ‘tesserae’. In this way they created mosaic floors with geometric and floral motifs, inspired by weaving and tapestry works, as well as representations inspired by Greek mythology. Later on, mosaic was extended to the decoration of walls with the use of colorful glass tesserae. Wall mosaics of high artistic value and elaborate technique adorn the most important ecclesiastical monuments of the Byzantine era. Today, mosaicists combine a wide range of materials to create portable works, and are also continuing the traditional techniques, using stone and glass mosaics to decorate architectural surfaces. There are over 100 shades of natural stones, while the color palette of glass is unlimited.

Preparation: 

- Attendance of two online introductory lectures prior to the start of the seminar, a) a historical review of the art of mosaics, b) style, materials and construction techniques.  The link to the lectures will be announced at the end of registration by direct communication with the participants. 

- Selection of a design for creating a mosaic work of approximately 20X20 cm. 

 Course hours: 5-6 hours per day

CVs

Stefania Chlouveraki is an antiquities conservator, a graduate of the Technological Educational Institute of Athens, and received her Ph.D. from the Institute of Archaeology at University College London, where she studied the use and pathology of gypsum in Minoan architecture. From 1997 to 2014, she was the head of the Conservation Laboratory at INSTAP - Center for the Study of Eastern Crete, specializing in ceramic and architectural conservation. She has been involved in the study of materials, technology, and conservation of mosaics and has participated in numerous studies and projects in Greece, Jordan, Syria, Cyprus, and Constantinople. She is a founding member of the Greek Society for Near Eastern Studies (EEME) and has collaborated with the European Center for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments in designing and implementing educational programs for mosaic conservation in Jordan and Syria. She has been teaching mosaic construction and conservation since 2006 and has been a regular member of the teaching staff at the University of Western Attica since 2014. Since 2008, she has been a member of the board of the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics and Vice President since 2014. In recent years, she has been involved in the study and conservation of Byzantine portable mosaic images at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and at the Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Washington.