Grizedale Mosaic
Rosalind Wates 1992
Photograph taken from 'Natural Order'
In 1992, amid a flurry of sculptural activity on the Ridding Wood route, artist Rosalind Wates was commissioned to make a piece for the very end of the trail in the meadow, where the walker has to turn around. Instead of the empty spot you'll find now, a few years ago upon reaching this point you would have happened upon the 'Grizedale Mosaic', designed to mimic the Roman circus patterned mosaics but instead displaying the local wildlife, and measuring five metres across. Wates made the mosaic on location, using Westmorland slate, Welsh slate and a few bits of quartz.
Wates discussed the mosaic at length in Bill Grant and Paul Harris' 'Natural Order':
"In the landscape, of the landscape, about the landscape. This is the theme of the Grizedale Mosaic, which lies part way up the east side of the Grizedale valley. The slowly evolving art of mosaic stretches back thousands of years.
The Grizedale Mosaic is an attempt at further exploration of the medium. My past mosaics have been constructed from man-made vitreous and ceramic pieces, but the Grizedale Society which commissioned this work gave me the opportunity to investigate the use of natural, local materials.
The mosaic has an unashamedly environmental theme. Five indigenous mammals frozen mid-movement and turned to stone follow each other around the central sun. Balancing this fiery heart is another element essential to life; a river motif, which forms a border to the mosaic.
Many of the sculptures at Grizedale reflect the passing of time, the transience of the seasons. Made from organic materials, they exist for a while, then decay naturally back into the ground; a planned mortality which is an essential part of their concept. The Grizedale Mosaic is different. As the Romans left their mark, so have I left mine; a message to future generations saying that we didn't just care about wealth, power, and the materialistic things of life; beyond all that, there's a part of us that is still claimed by the wilderness."
Sadly, future generations would not see the mosaic, as it was removed some years later, a shame, because among the sculptures at Grizedale, Rosalind Wates' mosaic was unique.