Eric Meyer

Transcript: I created a recreation of the ancient Greek Parrot Pergamon floor mosaic. The materials I used to recreate the Parrot Pergamon mosaic were paper, pencil, colored pencils, a printed picture of the Parrot Pergamon, scissors, and glue. The purpose of my work is to make my personal recreation of the Greek Parrot Pergamon in a way I feel is representative of my own style. I originally wanted to use paint but found it was too challenging to blend color in small areas, so I chose a different medium with colored pencils that I could blend much more easily and fine-tune detailed areas.
The original parrot was a depiction of an aristocratic nobleman’s exotic pet that was referred to as high status. I wanted to attempt to duplicate the elaborate colors and style of the original piece of art. The parrot as a symbol in the art piece represents the lifestyle of the rich and noble that many people at the time aspired to attain. My sisters’ AP and IB artwork helped influence and expand my creativity and encouraged me to use their favorite medium with colored pencils to create depth and detail to recreate the mosaic.

I chose this audio clip because it gives a reference to the audience of the actual sounds of the bird depicted in my mosaic recreation, the Alexandrine parakeet. This audio clip allows the audience to experience the mosaic with another one of their senses, as it is a recording of the same noises the bird would make as it sits on the box. The parrot’s playful expressions, songs, and oftentimes mimicking words would make this bird an entertaining and engaging pet. I feel its sounds are uplifting, playful, and silly which is a sharp contrast to how the parrot is often preassumed.

1. How did the general population at the time when the original artwork was made feel about the Parrot Pergamon?
2. What are other ways to recreate mosaics?
3. What feelings does the Parrot Pergamon evoke?