Wit & Whimsy
Among the many funny, twisted, fascinating, astonished, elegant and elongated figures penned by Maddalena Sisto, who died in Milan in July 2000, Chef deserves a place of honour. Continue reading Wit & Whimsy
Category: Tile Humour
Novoceram’s Naughty Nightcrawler
In Novoceram animated Gifs to promote the new Jasper range, a thief, picked up by CCTV cameras, prefers to steal Jasper Malt, Ivoire and Gris tiles, rather than other precious items nearby, such as a chest full of jewels, a precious painted masterpiece or the content of a restaurant’s cash register. Continue reading Novoceram’s Naughty Nightcrawler
Pothole Parade
Around five years ago, Jim Bachor began filling potholes in his home city of Chicago with a mosaic modelled on the official Chicago flag but with the word Pothole through the middle. Continue reading Pothole Parade
Counterfeit Ceramicist
Diogo Machado – aka Add Fuel – is a Portuguese artist, a highly skillful illusionist with an untreatable case of tile addiction; a street artist with a sideways sense of humour and much to say about perception, value and media. Continue reading Counterfeit Ceramicist
Street Stone Statement
When Julian Opie was commissioned to produce an art wall for a new designer hotel, citizenM Tower of London, he turned to stoneCIRCLE to manufacture the frieze. Continue reading Street Stone Statement
Intrepid Invader
Invader is the pseudonym of a French urban artist, whose work is modelled on the crude pixellation of 8-bit video games. His work is composed of ceramic tile murals installed in urban locations. Continue reading Intrepid Invader
Genovese Graffiti
If the UK has Banksy, Italy has Tiler. This reclusive Genovese street artist’s creations have been popping on the walls of the city for many months. Created from painted tiles, Tiler’s installations have appeared suddenly in many different areas of the port. Continue reading Genovese Graffiti
Tile Humour: Guilt By Association
I’m away on holiday until the 13th February, so I’ll leave you with some tile humour. Well, it may be humour! More years ago than I care to remeber there was much talk of a new single all-powerful association to represent the UK tile trade. Here Dr Grout shares some of his ‘initial thoughts’ on possible names for this important new body. ADD Association of … Continue reading Tile Humour: Guilt By Association
Tiling Thesaurus: T – W
I’m away on holiday until the 13th February, so I’ll leave you with some tile humour. Well, it may be humour! Taco: How floor tile manufacturers to dispose of their off-cuts. Thick bed: Fixing technique invented by adhesive manufacturers. Thin set: Fixing technique designed to keep costs down, and prices up. Tools: Hardware designed to make the public believe tiling is far more complicated than … Continue reading Tiling Thesaurus: T – W
Tiling Thesaurus: Q – S
I’m away on holiday until the 13th February, so I’ll leave you with some tile humour. Well, it may be humour! Quality: Obsolete. Term once used by a handful of manufacturers, now superseded by “acceptable”. Quantity: Number of tiles required as calculated independently by customer and fixer. It is standard industry practice for retailers to take larger figure (fixer’s) and add 25%. Quantity surveyor: End … Continue reading Tiling Thesaurus: Q – S
Tiling Thesaurus: M – P
I’m away on holiday until the 13th February, so I’ll leave you with some tile humour. Well, it may be humour! Majolica: I thought I was going on holiday, but I ended up in another dusty tile factory. Mohs: In the scale of things, very important. In reality, totally ignored by one and all. Mosaic: The perfect opportunity to get rid of all those dust-covered … Continue reading Tiling Thesaurus: M – P
Tiling Thesaurus: J – L
I’m away on holiday until the 13th February, so I’ll leave you with some tile humour. Well, it may be humour! Joint: Gap left between tiles. Following development of a new European standard, this gap has been standardised to be “never less than a bit” and “never more than a lot.” Kiln: Cooking appliance capable of producing 3000 pizzas per hour. Klinker: Continental word which … Continue reading Tiling Thesaurus: J – L
