A MOSAIC OF MOSAICS
Danni Go
Eric Dean Wilson Integrative Seminar 1: Shift December 11, 2017
Go 2 Shards of glass, scrap tiles, and broken teacups. As useless and unsightly as these may sound, simple manipulation can easily turn these materials into something purposeful and beautiful. Mended together by the use of grout, these fragments are some of the many possible components to create breathtaking mosaics. Mosaics date back to as early as the third millennium, or the Mesopotamian period.1 Since then, they have been adapted throughout history, especially during the Renaissance period. According to Eric MacPhail’s “The Mosaic of Speech: A Classical Topos in Renaissance Aesthetics,” “The composite nature of mosaic appeals directly to the self-image of humanism as a painstaking recovery and rearrangement of the pieces of tradition.”2 In other words, just like piecing together a mosaic, an individual can create how they wish to be perceived by using history. It goes without saying that each individual is shaped by “tradition,” or what he or she has grown accustomed to throughout his or her life. This correlates with the main goal of the Renaissance period which was to embody humanism. Back then, this was achieved by the practice of empiricism, the use of one’s experiences to gain knowledge about history in order to preserve antiquity and better one’s human conduct. MacPhail’s idea of a mosaic, the piecing together fragments of material to create a masterpiece, is analogous to the piecing together of one’s “self-image”. This acknowledges the fact that each person is shaped by what they experience in life. In its own way, each experience leaves an impression that one takes with them throughout their lifetime. Each piece symbolizes a new piece of acquired information as a component to make up one’s essence, as everything an Carinemahy, “Mosaic - Ancient History Encyclopedia,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified April 28, 2011, https://www.ancient.eu/Mosaic/. 2 Eric MacPhail, “The Mosaic of Speech: A Classical Topos in Renaissance Aesthetics,” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 66 (2003): 249-64. 1
Go 3 individual encounters eventually becomes a part of he or she, or generally who they are as a person. Each individual is a masterpiece. However, with all the information one can possibly be exposed to, not everything one acquires seems to be useful in relation to the other acquired pieces of information. At times, it is as if brains are trained to stick with what has already been learned and to not venture and make other connections. For instance, Michael Friendly says in “A Brief History of the Mosaic Display,” that “mosaic displays have become a primary graphical tool for visualization and analysis of categorical data…”3 It is safe to say that no one would have ever thought mosaics were used for data visualization. Because everyone has the impression that mosaics are only used for aesthetic and architectural design, they are conditioned to leave it as a widely held belief, letting it go unquestioned. Certain things may not have any connection to another, when in reality, they just might. Human rights and civil liberties attorney Jameer Jaffer disputes the mosaic theory, in which “seemingly insignificant information may become significant when combined with other information.”4 Though bits of information may not seem like they make sense on their own, it does not mean they will continue to have no meaning when combined with other nonsense information. In other words, combined nonsense makes sense. Jaffer continues to explain how “innocuous information can be analyzed and fitted into place to reveal with startling clarity how the unseen whole must operate.”5 It is like a puzzle. And like a puzzle, a mosaic is made up of smaller pieces that are formed together to create a riendly. "A Brief History of the Mosaic Display." Journal of Computational F and Graphical Statistics 11, no. 1 (2002): 89-107. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1391129. 4 Jameel Jaffer, "The Mosaic Theory." Social Research 77, no. 3 (2010): 873-82. 5 Ibid. 3
Michael
Go 4 bigger picture. Each piece of the puzzle or the mosaic is “analyzed” in order to figure out where it should be “fitted into place” to reveal a bigger picture. At first, the pieces may not make any sense, but not until combined and interacted with other pieces. Eventually, it will start to flow together as a whole to unveil a deeper meaning. Jaffer’s approach to a mosaic as a tool for making connections to arrive at bigger and bolder solutions ultimately differs from MacPhail, as it focuses on one’s relation to the outside world rather than themselves. The piecing together of information does not just stop there. Jaffer’s concept of a mosaic theory is also embodied by the Mosaic law. According to American theologian Matthew Levering, the Mosaic law entails using Moses’ wisdom and teachings to truly understanding the life of Christ.6 Moses’ knowledge serves as the puzzle pieces to reveal Christ. This then models Jaffer’s idea of connecting bits of information to arrive at a more meaningful and substantial answer. Except in this case, it is in regards to the life of Christ. Italian-Dominican philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas believed this Law allows for the Christian community to prepare for the various forms Christ chooses to reveal Himself. Aquinas was known for “understanding [the Catholic Church’s] teachings concerning the Christian revelation.”7 His teachings went along the lines of, “If it speaks of God what it says is
conditioned by what is known of the world.”8 Another way to put this is that if someone’s actions are done in God’s likeness, it trains them to think living such a life will entail a spiritual reward for them in the end. With this, people are encouraged to act in the goodness of evering, "The Mosaic Law." In Paul in the Summa Theologiae, 109-52. L Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2014. 7 Ralph McInerny and John O'Callaghan, "Saint Thomas Aquinas", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2016/entries/aquinas/. 8 Ibid. 6
Matthew
Go 5 the Lord in order to start their path towards salvation, or in other words, Heaven. However, this is where dispute arises. Reformist Martin Luther reasoned that the Mosaic law removes the sheer goodness of one’s actions.9 Instead of naturally and genuinely acting out of the kindness of their hearts, people are simply doing such acts because they are motivated and convinced that it will guarantee them a place in Heaven. To Luther, that should not be the case. People should be performing selfless, kind acts, regardless of the reward that comes with doing so. Luther was known to believe that achieving salvation was done independently and for personal sake, not to fulfill one’s desire to acquire salvation. Though he believes actions can be done towards one’s salvation, he believes in predestination, the idea that even before birth, our ultimate destiny is already predetermined. In short, whether or not one ends up in Heaven or Hell has already been decided. It is now just a matter of acting in the image and likeness of God. On the other hand, Levering claims the Mosaic law is “an imperfectly good law”.10 With the Mosaic law, “it does not overcome our concupiscence.”11 What this means is that the idea of using Moses’ teachings as a stepping stone does not completely overshadow an individual’s desire for salvation. To Levering, practicing the Mosaic law does not extract the goodness out of one’s actions, which is what Luther believes. Levering says, “God’s grace enables us to fulfill God’s law, and so the grace of the Holy Spirit, which is conferred by Christ Jesus, perfects and
Matthew Levering, "The Mosaic Law." In Paul in the Summa Theologiae, 109-52. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2014. 10 Ibid. 11 Ibid. 9
Go 6 fulfills the Mosaic law.”12 As long as our actions are signaled by God’s blessings, then it is safe to say that they are acting with genuine intention, and not to simply gain salvation. These steps towards salvation goes in relation with “The Mosaic Theory of the Fourth Amendment”. Professor of law Orin S. Kerr talks about how the mosaic theory is used in accordance with the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment entails a person’s rights when it comes to ownership and privacy. The mosaic theory states that, “…searches can be analyzed as a collective sequence of steps rather than as individual steps… Identifying Fourth Amendment searches requires analyzing police actions over time as a collective ‘mosaic’ of surveillance.”13 With this, searching a person’s property is done in a multitude of steps rather than single steps. This allows for the searches to be more productive, as it “[requires] courts to answer an extensive list of difficult and novel questions.”14 A sequence of steps is also taken when creating mosaic gold. By melting together tin, mercury, sal ammoniac, and sulphur, then baking the mixture with increasing heat, mosaic gold is created once golden sparkles appear.15 Mosaic gold was its own entity. It was “priced as a pigment for its own inherent properties.”16 Its purpose was not to replace gold itself or to imitate it, but to be distinguished individually for its own facets. Mosaic gold was also used in reference to technical literature which “[reflects] an enthusiasm for technological development rather than the belief that an inexpensive substitute for gold had been discovered.”17 Ibid.
12
. Kerr, "The Mosaic Theory of the Fourth Amendment." Michigan Law Review S 111, no. 3 (2012): 311-54. 14 Ibid. 15 Janet L. Ross, "A Note on the Use of Mosaic Gold." Studies in Conservation 18, no. 4 (1973) 16 Ibid. 17 Ibid. 13
Orin
Go 7 Whether it is the mixing of different substances to for golden sparkles or the piecing together of information to arrive at a bigger conclusion, it is needless to say that the word “mosaic,” in all its different forms and meanings, offers a new perspective for fragmentation. Despite the cracks, shatters, and gaps that yearn to be fixed, it is their unmended state that lends mosaics their meaningful and captivating features. No matter how broken of a state something is in, it does not mean the end of beauty, but the coming of it.
Go 8 Annotated Bibliography Carinemahy. "Mosaic." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 28, 2011. https://www.ancient.eu/Mosaic/. This is a tertiary source that generally gives an overview of mosaics. It defines what a mosaic is: a piece of art created by putting together colored glass or stone. Majority of the entry goes on to talk about it in historical context. It lists the different places where the first findings of mosaics were discovered such as Mesopotamia, Susa, and Choqa Zanbil. Over time, mosaics made their way into other time periods like the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Then, mosaics adorned villas’ and dwellings’ floors. However, the more well-known mosaics from the Roman period happened to come from Africa and Syria. It does not come as a surprise that most mosaics from the Roman period were of mythology, a lot of which depicting Neptune and Dionysus. Besides the Roman period, mosaics also made an appearance during the Christian period which contained biblical subjects. This source lays down the foundation for gaining a general idea on what mosaics are. Friendly, Michael. "A Brief History of the Mosaic Display." Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics 11, no. 1 (2002): 89-107. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1391129. From serving as narratives in Roman and Greek art to aestheticized architecture, mosaics have served multiple purposes beyond its beauty. Mosaics did not begin as a means of achieving a certain aesthetic. Rather, they were used for data visualization. With the use of rectangles, mosaics were used to present different types of information. It was almost used like today’s table graphs, where its rows and its columns are used to sort categorical data accordingly. This scholarly journal shows the functionality of mosaics besides their stunning appearances.
Go 9 Jaffer, Jameel. "The Mosaic Theory." Social Research 77, no. 3 (2010): 873-82. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40972296. The mosaic theory is the idea that unimportant information becomes important when combined with other unimportant information. Each piece of acquired information can be connected to other pieces of acquired information which allows an individual to further their own knowledge. This helps in reaching a conclusion that was not very evident at the beginning. This concept resembles the assemblage that goes into creating a mosaic. Just like a mosaic, the mosaic theory embodies the idea of piecing tiny bits of information together to create a bigger, more structured concept. This scholarly journal offers an ethical approach to mosaics. Kerr, Orin S. "The Mosaic Theory or the Fourth Amendment." Michigan Law Review 111, no. 3 (2012): 311-54. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41703445. In regards to the Fourth Amendment, which focuses on a person’s right to privacy and ownership, the mosaic theory proposes that searches can be observed as a collection of steps instead of individual steps. This perspective on mosaics shares possesses the concept of how certain things are achieved bit by bit, but are eventually looked at as a whole. Specifically, in this scholarly journal, a mosaic is used as a way to carefully study and understand the Fourth Amendment and what it entails for a citizen. Levering, Matthew. "The Mosaic Law." In Paul in the Summa Theologiae, 109-52. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2014. doi:10.2307/j.ctt7zswbz.8. In the religious aspect, the Mosaic law takes into account Moses’ knowledge and lessons as a means to truly understand the life of Jesus Christ. Italian-Dominican philosopher and
Go 10 theologian Thomas Aquinas believes this Law is for God’s people to prepare for His presence in the various forms He reveals Himself. Besides Aquinas, other significant figures such as Martin Luther from the period of Reformation disputes that the Mosaic law extracts the goodness of one’s actions, as they are simply motivated by their goal of achieving salvation. With this, “mosaic” meets religion and where the line is drawn when it comes to understanding Christ’s life for the true desire to, or for the desire of making it to Heaven. MacPhail, Eric. "The Mosaic of Speech: A Classical Topos in Renaissance Aesthetics." Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 66 (2003): 249-64. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40026317. During the Renaissance period, mosaics had the purpose of retelling stories of classical antiquity. Back then, the goal was to achieve and practice humanism, so the idea of rearranging history resembles that of the physical process of creating a mosaic. On the other hand, mosaics themselves had a voice. The images they displayed allowed them to speak to its viewers. This source touches on the role of mosaics as an interactive and informative tool in the form of speech other than visual material. McInerny, Ralph and O'Callaghan, John. The Stanford Encyclopedia, Winter 2016 ed., s.v. “Saint Thomas Aquinas.” Stanford: Metaphysics Research Lab, 2004. http://www.britannica.com/articles/id=2533 (accessed December 8, 2017). This encyclopedia entry is about well-known philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas. It offers a brief biography of the philosopher, but focuses mostly on his beliefs. It gives a detailed overview of a lot of the life aspects he has covered such as Matter and Form,
Go 11 Perception and Thought, Human Identity and Immortality, and more. This source gives context to Aquinas and his teachings as a philosopher and theologian. Ross, Janet L. "A Note on the Use of Mosaic Gold." Studies in Conservation 18, no. 4 (1973): 174-76. doi:10.2307/1505713. By taking different substances (being tin, mercury, sal ammoniac, and sulphur), mosaic gold is formed, after the mixture is placed in a jar and baked with increasing heat. The result is a sparkling gold pigment. Mosaic gold was not seen as a substitute for gold itself, but was seen simply for its beautiful facets. Besides its physicality, mosaic gold plays a role in literature as well. In literature, mosaic gold reflected the eagerness for development instead of a deception, or a “substitute”. This source shares the different uses of mosaic gold, in the physical sense and in the world of literature.