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When it comes to designing mosaics, one of the golden rules is that regardless of the complexity of the design, the component shapes should be kept simple.
With mosaic effect tiles, this is no different, as the ultimate end effect should look like it has been constructed from relatively small cubes or other simple shapes. What happens, therefore, when someone breaks the golden rule of opus tessellatum and uses more complex ideas in their designs?
The results can vary far more wildly but are typically grouped under the names “tessellation” and “infinite mosaic” depending on the medium used to create them.
Probably the most famous examples of this in action is in M.C. Escher’s Regular Division of the Plane, a series of over 130 drawings in which the artist experiments with using interlocking shapes other than cubes or triangles as the core part of his mosaic designs.
Inspired by the elaborate geometric mosaics found in Alhambra, lizards, fish, seahorses, and even depictions of knights are used as the geometric primitive at the base of his sketches and designs to see just how complex a design can be before it is rendered unusable as the basis for a mosaic.
Perhaps the best depiction of this is in the lithograph print Reptiles, which not only shows an infinite mosaic of interlocking lizards, but also these same lizards coming to life on the page at the edge of the pattern, circling around and reentering it, highlighting Mr Escher’s lifelong interest in infinite design.
Another interpretation of the infinite mosaic concept comes in the form of tiles designed by Alison Rose under the name Sfera. The design here does not follow the rules of traditional mosaics, which spheres that overlap and intersect each other that require extra attention when installing.
These different designs highlight that when it comes to tile design, the only true limit is imagination.
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