MATERIALS AND EFFECTS: MOSAICS AN ARTISTIC EYE


When the team at DKT Artworks were given a project brief to create a bespoke, hand- crafted mosaic feature, they used their artistic interpretation to create a striking final piece.


Founded in 1979, DKT Artworks is a unique multidisciplinary team of imaginative and highly-skilled artists, with studios in London and Prague.


DKT Artworks embraces the relevance of traditional hand-produced arts and crafts within the classic, period and contemporary interior environment, operating in various sectors, from residential to hospitality, corporate offices to superyachts.


Among the skills and specialities offered, highly complex mosaics are certainly one to mention, because of the dedication and precision required, the expertise and knowledge of materials that only few companies can offer.


One good example of a particularly complex mosaic was carried out in cooperation with Reymond Langton Design on a private superyacht project. The theme was based around the Persian buta or boteh pattern, a teardrop- shaped motif with a curved upper end, more commonly known in the UK as Indian Ham or Paisley pattern.


Commenting on the project, Steve Keeling, one of DKT Artworks’ founders and directors, said: “As well as retaining the flow of the basic motif properties of the Paisley pattern, the brief required introducing variety and interest in the interpretation, creating a unique and bespoke art piece.”


The theme encompassed the Spa Area, the Steam Room and the Day Head.


“Due to the complexity of the design and the application, different techniques and materials had to be used for each of the elements with frequent liaison between the Reymond Langton and DKT Artworks teams, to make sure all steps of the process were planned and coordinated as effectively as possible to their satisfaction” continued Steve.


The project started with the designer providing DKT Artworks with CGI of their vision, rendering the areas involved. Once the sampling stage was successfully completed, the project progressed to the next stage.


The floor mosaics were set against a background of Botticino marble which is inlaid with turquoise, tiger eye, amethyst, rose and yellow quartz. In order to accommodate obstacles such as inspection hatches and service points, the initial designs had to be modified to fit the final dimensions of the space.


As a result, the floor area was divided by the outfitters into manageable sections to form a jigsaw-puzzle-like series of panels, perfectly cut to fit the space along lines in the pattern. Once these panels were received by DKT Artworks, the mosaic application process could start in earnest.


Upon completion, the mosaic was then laid out for final inspection by the Reymond Langton Design team before


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being shipped to Germany for installation, with DKT Artworks team carrying out the final finishing on-board.


The wall-mounted mosaics commissioned for the Spa Area and Steam Room were set against a background of Tiger Eye, a hard stone found predominantly in South Africa and Australia, inlaid with turquoise, amethyst, rose and yellow quartz.


The dimensions of these artworks were pre-determined. Each was made in a single panel so was more straight- forward than the floor mosaic, from a production point-of-view.


“One additional challenge was represented by the fact Tiger Eye is a very hard stone. Therefore, the design needed to be interpreted in a such a way as to keep the cutting process of these particular elements as straight forward as possible,” Steve explained.


The wall-mounted mosaic commissioned for the Day Head had a graded background of seven metal leaf mosaic tiles from Angelo Orsoni, Venice. This was inlaid with a variety of hand-cut tesserae, embellished by water-jet cut details. The mosaics were made using the traditional indirect technique, meaning the tesserae were not glued onto the panels immediately, allowing for adjusting of material and shapes if required.


The overall project took almost two years from design to completion, with a lot of hard and precise work but, as always, knowing the client was happy was a great reward for the whole team involved.


www.dkt.co.uk www.tomorrowstileandstone.co.uk


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