One can perceive Moroccan mosaic as an expression of infinity or the infinitesimal, the starfilled cosmos or the atomic structure on which it depends. Either way, its building block is the tiny, ceramic piece called "zalij". Mosaic is the visual matrix of Morocco, found in neighborhood fountains and restaurants as well as grand homes and spectacular palaces and mosques.

The zalij differs from the basic module of Western mosaic called terrera. Tesserae are primarily small rectangular pieces of glass, stone or clay which are put together to configure realistic and decorative shapes including portraits, figurative scenes and animals. We are familiar with this mosaic from both Roman and Byzantine art.

Zalij, on the other hand, come in over 300 distinct shapes, each with a name. These pieces fit together almost seamlessly to create geometric patterns of mind-altering complexity. Because of the Islamic prohibition against the creation of realistic images, geometric art developed to unique heights in the early Middle Ages. The diversity of these geometric forms required a huge vocabulary of handcut terra cotta shapes glazed in white, black, oxide red, yellow, ochre, and shades of blues and greens. Radiating star shapes, curvilinear forms and various polygons work together to create a play of pattern and light and dark which is nearly impossible to decipher. The experience begins with a sense of joyful intricacy and leads to an awed gaze into the cosmos.

The traditional craft of mosaic is still practised in Morocco in small shops, all male, where children begin an appreticeship around 8 or 9 years of age. Beginning with glazed, fired tiles, the youngest children trace the zalij shapes with ink and a bamboo stick, fitting as many as possible on each tile. The children are speedy, tracing each shape with a few deft strokes. Older boys, teenagers, make rough cuts from these tiles, But the primary activity of the zalij ship is the precise hammering out of these shapes by many young men using the "manqach", a heavy hammer with a sharpened edge on both sides about two inches wide. Looking at this tool, one would think it impossible that it could cut a tiny eight pointed star where each point is 1/4 ", let alone an elegant curving swag shape, but it does, incessantly. Each shape seems to be cut in just seconds, is tossed in a basket and the next begun. The shop fills with syncopation of the skillful hammers.

The artisans sit on the floor on mats of sheepskin. Their workbenchs look like adhoc arrangements of cement blocks and stones, but they hold the tiles at just the right angle for the hammer. The atmosphere is one of both relaxed male camraderie and disciplined work.

The zalij shop is school for these children, and this ceramic art replaces the study of other disciplines such as language, math and history. It is difficult for Westerners to see children spend their days working. But this work is highly respected and leads to a good livelihood. As they progress in their apprenticeship to the "maallem" or master, they may have the opportunity to design their own patterns and eventually open their own shop, or even become a maallem who is revered. Given the basic structure of the grid and the repertoire of existing geometric patterns, there is good deal of invention that still takes place. Designing new patterns insures the vitality of this art which is based on math and craftsmanship but speaks to the soul.

Installation takes place at the site. The pieces are placed carefully, according to the design, upside-down on a sand covered floor. A kind of soft soap placed on the surface has an adhesive quality, holding pieces together as they are placed upside down. The back is sprinkled with a mixture of dry Plaster of Paris and cement and moistened. The zalij pieces when made are cut diagonally from front to back, so that when placed upside down they have channels to accept the mortar. After the mortar is poured, smoothed and dried, the panel is attached to the wall with an adhesive plaster.

Given the immense amount of labor needed to create one wall of thousands of pieces, I asked the patron of a zalij shop why he didn't use molds, knowing that molds would somehow kill the quality of mosaic. He said, to my surprise, that pieces made by mold would not be exact enough. The exactitude rarely becomes hardened and formulaic, perhaps because the inspiration for this art comes from a deeply felt mystical sense of the universe.

How can this art be experienced in the American classroom? At Fieldston Lower we have tried various projects with Fifth Graders during the time they study Medieval Islam and geometry. Explorations uniting art and math are excellent for those children who don't see themselves as artists but are strong in math. Simply designing geometrically gives these children the chance to excell in the artroom. It gives all chldren a sense of design as one of the fundementals of art-making, for very often children see art as solely a matter of an ability to render realistic form. And it strenghtens math skills while a design aesthetic is being expanded. The following are projects we have found successful:

DESIGN

Using pencil and compass, students have created designs based on the circle and intersecting the circle. This gives rise to rosette shapes and radiating forms, similar to Moroccan mosaic and European stained glass rose windows.

With pencil and grid paper, children improvise using only two-way symmetry as a requirement. Their designs are notable for their individuality. Children have been excited by their results which can become quite complex and elegant.

Understanding and using tessellation - two or more shapes which fit together and repeat, such as the diamond and X shape. Working with this directly gives students even more appreciation of MC Esher, a favorite of young people.

Color as a design element. Xeroxes are made of each student's pencilled designs. The children are then asked to do different color studies with the same design. They discover how remarkably different a design looks depending on how it's colored.

CERAMIC MOSAIC MURAL - ZALIJ STYLE

To create a mosaic wall piece, students selected several designs among all those created. They were then executed in clay which required enormous planning and teamwork. It was necessary to determine how many of each shape were needed to accomplish the design in a given area, allowing for the clay shrinkage. The children then manufactured these pieces, perhaps 36 or one shape and 70 of another, etc. Some students naturally became superivsors, making sure the right numbers of shapes were made and providing quality control. The student who had difficulty cutting clay precisely naturally adopted this function.

Clay was rolled out using tile sticks, and the shapes were cut using cardboard templates. Once they were dried and fired they were glazed, and this process initiated another discussion. Students voted on the color pattern they wished to use based on the colored pencil designs. This was an excellent opportunity to investigate the role of various color interactions.

It was great fun for students to arrange and rearrange the finished pieces or zalij. To install, a plywood panel was cut to fit the shape and size of the wall, and the pieces were mounted, right side up, using a tile adhesive. Teachers performed this step as tile adhesive is fairly noxious and requires good ventilation. After 24 hours of drying time, or more, the panel was grouted. The panel was mounted on the wall with large screws.

For smaller, individual zalij mosaics, my colleague Corinne Farkouh developed a project in which the tiny pieces were cut on, fired on, and later mounted on inexpensive ceramic wall tiles, available at a home supply store. Since the shapes never left their tile backing, "mosaic migraine" or the excrutiating mixup of hundreds of different pieces in the kiln, was avoided. When a mosaic is small, involving tiny intricate shapes, it is best to cut the shapes when the clay is leather hard.

Planning, creating and manipulating mosaic works calls on many skills and talents. Using zalij as inspiration brings students in contact with a great art and great civilization. Struggling with the geometric verities is another pathway to art.

Diane Churchill

Art Teacher, Fieldston Lower School