The Tile Project at Mercer Park in New York City is a stunning piece of art: a tile-framed fence that exemplifies the combined effort and skill of over 100 contributing artists from 40 different countries. The fence, which opened November 11, 2004, is but one of 22 such structures that have recently debuted across the world in the last two years.
Shepherding this revolution is TransCultural Exchange, an organization dedicated to global artistic cooperation and communication. They hope to promote international art and the understanding and acceptance of various cultural differences through high-quality art exhibitions, education programs and cultural exchanges. TransCultural has received awards from such prestigious organizations as the International Art Critics Association and is duly supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the State Department’s Art in Embassies Program, and the Asian Cultural Council.
How Does the Project Work?
An artist creates 22 tiles. The tiles can reflect anything the artist wishes to express, with only one restriction: each tile must be 4.25” x 4.25” and .50” thick. Artists can paint, draw, emboss, and add photography, calligraphy, glass, mirror or even smaller mosaic-like tiles on top of the tile. The imagination is their only limitation. Once completed, the tiles are distributed to various installations around the world.
Once installed, every tile has a matching tag below it, which states the country and name of the artist. The art is strong and abstract; powerful and moving. Passers-by stop in their tracks, intrigued: pondering the meaning of each tile, some are moved to tears. Most people say that it reminds them that there are people on the other side of the world as desperate, as human, and as hopeful for global and social change as themselves.
The communication doesn’t just stop there. Artists connect to other artists and relate stories of their own trials, their lives and hopes for their countries. It’s this type of communication and sense of unity that the TransCultural Exchange believes can change the world. If artists, who by their very nature are insular, find the Tile Project a channel for global communication, how much more so for art lovers and viewers who experience the installations in social settings? The Exchange hopes to show that people from conflicting and divisive countries can unite over a common goal: they can learn, share, grow and educate themselves on the various cultures that make up all of humanity, and in turn, hopefully gain a sense of acceptance.
Why Use Tile as the Medium?
Tile is one of the earliest art forms, adorning private and public places for thousands of years. Tile embodies enduring beauty, as it is changeless over time; it is a medium that has transformed the world and is found in virtually every country on earth – from the poorest regions to the most affluent. From plazas, palaces and pools to private homes, parks and train stations, the world is virtually blanketed with tile. What could be a better, more all-encompassing, longer-lasting medium?
Skeptics may scoff at the notion that tile art can change lives, but we’ll let you decide. Below is a list of supporting countries actively involved with Project Tile installations:
Wales, Herzegovina, Denmark, Finland, Germany, India, Mexico, the Philippines, New Zealand, Israel, Romania, Bosnia, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Romania, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, France, South Africa, South Korea, the United States, as well as the proposed World Trade Center Memorial.
The Tile Project encountered some difficulties when trying to install tile applications in Vietnam and Romania. Government authorities were called and, after much negotiation, they relented and allowed the placement of the installations, but noted that site would be monitored and the installations removed at their discretion. This is a jarring reminder that in many places of the world, freedom of expression is still restricted. All the more reason – all the more need – for The Tile Project: a modern miracle performed by ordinary people.
