Michal Lando, USA

"A roof over our heads," is a contemporary mosaic that plays off of and tinkers with ancient mosaics both in subject matter and structure. Though the title suggests stability, nothing about this piece is stable: the central image is of a palm tree (featured in many traditional mosaics) which has been flipped on its side and would offer very little actual protection. Like in ancient mosaics, the image has been broken apart into many pieces, making what was once whole, fragmented. But while ancient mosaics were embedded in concrete, the pieces in this necklace are threaded on nylon chords undermining the stability of a traditional mosaic. The Here and Now calls for a shift in perspective, both personally and globally. It also has us turned upside down, fragmented and not entirely stable.