FALENA

La Falena (The Moth) – Finding Beauty in Unusual Places

Butterflies conjure images of beauty, elegance and fragility. Moths, on the other hand, tend not to. Though closely related to butterflies, they are neither respected nor revered. Not for the moth is there a role as a character in fairy tales or cartoons, unlike its close cousin the butterfly. Nor does the moth adorn the walls of little girls’ rooms, or any household wall, for that matter.

Well, that is, until now.

Mosaics allow even seemingly ordinary things, such as a moth, to shine. Mosaics draw inner beauty outwards, and breathe life into forgotten or stale objects. They transform the unsuspecting and unusual, and inject light and beauty into dull and dark areas.

Like the ordinary caterpillar that has undergone the strenuous process of breaking out of its cocoon, the La Falena mosaic was created after many hours of fine precision cutting and delicate placement of each individual tesserae (tile). As a result of this dedication and commitment, a simple moth was transformed into an exquisite artwork.

La Falena exemplifies how master craftsmen can create transparency, movement and weightlessness through mosaic. The moth moves with the splendid mixture of approximately 50 shades of Venetian glass – blues, red, yellows, greens, purples and whites – beneath its wings. The Italian-made glass ensures that this moth sparkles and glimmers in every light.

Perhaps the sparkles represent stars, and the moth is fluttering beneath a starlit sky…

The person who desires this mosaic is someone who finds beauty in the ordinary. This person stops, looks, listens and admires… whilst others rush past. They give their minds permission to rest and focus, and to wonder and become lost… even if just for a moment. This is the person who will possess this mosaic.