Mosaic Art by Heather Hancock

In my mosaic work, I re-imagine an ancient medium with traditionally decorative and functional uses as a vehicle for exploring contemporary issues in cognition, language and social identity.  My work attempts to re-assert the relevance and essential meaningfulness of glass as a conceptual medium.  Glass serves literally as a lens to transmit and focus light, and metaphorically as a channel through which something can be seen or understood.  I use the highly physical and permanent media of glass, grout and paint to explore the ephemeral cognitive experiences of attending, perceiving and comprehending.

The interaction between the media of glass and grout and the intangible medium of light in my work underscores the significance of both material and immaterial dimensions.  Light parallels the transience of the cognitive moment and ensures the dynamic nature of the work across space and time.  The permanent is thereby rendered transient by changes in lighting conditions and viewers' perspectives.

My aesthetic sensibilities are informed by the spare beauty of the Canadian prairies where I grew up and by the sensory richness of the urban environments of Chicago where I have spent most of my adult life.  I find visual inspiration in the stark points of beauty where nature interacts with the built environment.

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