Mosaic Chair Sculpture

This functional, life-sized armchair sculpture installed on the lawn of Hamilton City Hall was commissioned as the first three-dimensional sculptural work under the City of Hamilton’s VIVID Public Art Initiative.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Nikki Murray-Mason (Nikki Mosaics Inc.) is a Bermudian mosaicist with over 15 years of experience creating intricate public and private installations across the island. Drawing continuous inspiration from her indoor-outdoor garden studio, her works celebrate local flora, pollinators, and island nature.

ABOUT THE PIECE:

Inspired by the vibrant blooms of a Bermudian summer garden, the sculpture takes the form of a classic rolled-arm club chair finished entirely in weather-resistant mosaic tesserae.

Botanical Motifs:

The surfaces are adorned with bold sunflowers, daisies, petals, honeybees, and a monarch butterfly across the lower front.

Hidden Easter Egg:

As a personal signature tribute to her late pet cat, Tinkerbell, the artist hid a small depiction of Tinkerbell peeking out from behind a flower, complete with a tiny "T" collar medallion.

Engineering:

Handcrafted over 162 hours across two months, the chair was sculpted from dense roof styrofoam, reinforced with fiberglass mesh, steel rods, and chicken wire, and coated in multiple layers of concrete to create a fully functional, durable piece of public seating.