Tiled staircases around the globe

We’ve covered a few mosaic marvels in our time – including the incredible Myaamia mural, the Mosaic Tile House, and the phenomenal Fusterlandia in Havana – each demonstrating the beauty of ceramics and the transformative nature of tile. So today we are exploring a niche within this art form, tiled staircases.

One place that has taken special interest in tiled staircases is San Francisco where community driven projects have transformed numerous staircases into spectacles of colour and creativity. The most recent of these are the Lincoln Park Steps which opened in 2015 after a project was spearheaded to restore the broken and graffitied stairway. The 30ft wide stairs now burst with colour and floral Art Deco forms in oranges and greens designed by Aileen Barr.

Barr also had a hand in the most famous of the city’s stairs, The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. Barr and fellow artist and San Francisco local Colette Crutcher designed 163 steps to depict a crescent moon and abstract landscape. The project was completed with help from hundreds of volunteers who helped form each individual tile out of clay.

Neaby the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps is another work by the artists, The Hidden Garden Steps, which celebrate Californian wildlife such as the passion flower and the Mission blue butterfly. The handmade tiles also feature names of frequent visitors, family members, beloved pets, and friends.

Further South in Rio de Janeiro sit the Escadaria Selarón, Chilean artist Jorge Selarón’s tribute to Brazilian people. The transformation of the steps was started in 1990, and ended in 2013 when Selarón was found dead on the stairs he had worked tirelessly to cover. The 410ft work was decorated in over 2,000 tiles collected from 60 countries around the world, with many tiles salvaged from construction sites, donated by visitors, or handmade by Selarón himself.

In Caltagirone, Sicily, is a different type of step decoration. Rather than a mural to be appreciated from afar, La Scalinata’s detail is best appreciated from up close. Originally built in 1608, the steps were recreated in 1953 out of lava stone and local craftsmen produced a series of stunning handpainted designs. En masse the effect is extremely impressive, and the staircase proves to be an important fixture of the city during performances and events. Historical methods of ceramic production are maintained and celebrated along the steps in craft shops.