MULLEIN & MALLOW
PUBLIC ART MOSAIC INSTALLATION
FORTLOGAN INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
DENVER, COLORADO 2022
Mullein & Mallow are a series of mosaic panels created for the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan. The mosaic murals depict a plains landscape peppered with bushels of Globe Mallow, and a mountainscape with Mullein growing in the foreground. The panels are composed with varied shapes, colors, and patterns that blend into one another and evoke a sense of calm. The bench inlays are made of the same patterns and motifs, but are further deconstructed, focusing on the color, pattern, and carving of the mosaics. Globe Mallow and Mullein are flora that thrive in Colorado and New Mexico and have been used in both places for their medicinal properties. The tactile nature of the mosaics echoes the tactile presence of these plants.
They are composed of thousands of handmade ceramic tiles that have been pressed with patterns and texture. Many of these textures are inspired by the microscopic biology of a plant cell. Being made of many small pieces, the repetitive process and presence of the mosaics evokes a sense of meditation, and is imbued with hopes of healing.
.
Helen Atkins and Will Geusz are a creative couple from Albuquerque, New Mexico who met in an apprenticeship for mosaic arts. While they each have dynamic artistic careers of their own, they come together to collaborate on large scale public and multimedia installations.
ARTISTS: Helen Atkins & Will Geusz
ORGANIZERS: Colorado Creative Industries