What is the History of the Photo Mosaic Wall?

Mosaics are an ancient art form that date back through millenia, the ancient Romans were the masters of it, bringing dazzling images to every land they settled in. Mosaics have survived volcanic eruptions, wars and thousands of years of erosion so we can enjoy them today. The first way of creating images were done by precisely cutting different coloured tiles to arrange into an image when viewed as a whole. The art form has of course continued and modernised through the years and still impresses people today.

The purpose of mosaics has changed very little in all that time with the romans using them much in the same way we use photo mosaic today, to advertise presence or celebrate an event in a creative way that is a feat for the eyes. Now what we may be celebrating or advertising may not be as epic as winning a battle against the Germanic tribes or conquering a province but they’re still important to us.

Modern Photo Mosaic Walls

Photo mosaic walls first found their feet in modern culture in the pop art boom of the 1970s were artists such as Andy Warhol would take hundreds of tiny photographic images and expertly place them based on their light and shade to create one big image. How people had the vision to do that is mind boggling, but with advances in technology it has become easier and more accessible to create photo mosaic walls.

Computers changed everything and in 1993 Joseph Francis is credited in creating the first computer generated photographic mosaic, using a program he developed. Throughout a short period in the 90s artists and programmers got more creative with their ideas, creating images of John F Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe from random images on the internet, even politically charged pieces were made as the art form took on more meaning. But by 1997 the first user-friendly algorithm was patented by Robert Silvers and the technology was open to the world.

Now its very easy to run programs even through a simple laptop to create photo mosaic walls. They are used far and wide to decorate exhibition stands, celebrate weddings or milestone birthdays, or as a feature at conferences and similar corporate events. It’s wonderful that this technology is so available to us now that we can get as creative as we want and very simply make a stunning piece of art that captures not one memory but hundreds, sometimes even thousands. They still draw attention, they’re pieces that are explored from afar and up close for two very different experiences.