I plan to recreate the “Baths of Neptune” mosaic from the ancient bathhouses of Ostia Antica by using black construction paper pasted onto a large white posterboard. The reason for this is that it is cost effective, relatively easy to do, and gets the job done as well as any other way. I will build it either in my room or on the dining room table, as not much space is required to do it. As for what I am actually redesigning, I chose to focus on one of the many fish portrayed in the original mosaic. The entire initial piece takes up an entire, so I chose to target one detailed spot. The artwork is made mainly of two colors, black and white, so those are the colors my paper and posterboard with be. The fish itself is black swimming in white background, so I am going to replicate that. I will start by drawing the actual fish on the poster boarded, then gluing the black paper onto it inside the lines. The only true problems I anticipate is that my drawing will be lacking in the skill and detail of the genuine tessellation. While I will never be as good as the artist from the past who created it, I can only hope to make something that is half as good as what he or she created. I wish that my audience will be able to see my mosaic and understood not only what it is, but the significance of it. Because the Romans were so well developed for their time, they had resources to make this beautiful art, and it is all related to their culture. The value of the sea in the history of Ostia Antica is present in the creativity and skill of the artwork. The attached video below shows nearly exactly how I intend to build my copy and will be great reference for when I start formulating it. How to Make a Paper Mosaic

-Christopher Geldmacher