Tides of Time Community Mosaic, Sanday

July 30, 2026

Visiting Orkney was always on my wishlist, but with my sun loving husband being adverse to it as a holiday destination, getting the chance to work there was perfect.

With the Tides of Time project, commissioned by the Friends of Sanday Kirk (FOSK), I worked with the Sanday community to create a large mosaic on the exterior wall of a drab pebble-dashed building.

My first visit was in March, where I researched the history of the island, and visited every corner, collecting ideas and speaking with inhabitants. The mosaic was to be one of three projects all based around the theme of herring, as there was a packing station in Kettletoft, and the 'Herring Girls' were regular visitors to the Island.

Black and white historical photograph showing a large group of people standing and sitting around many stacked barrels in front of a building.

I also did a couple of 'How to be a Helpful Helper' sessions, and and introduced mosaics to the Men's Shed, the Afternoon club, the History group and the School pupils - with some groups even did some making.

Three elderly people gathered around a table in a community setting, working on small seashell mosaics. The table has a beige tablecloth with white polka dots, and the room features a red curtain and a colorful display board on the wall.

A 3x3 collage showing nine handmade seashell mosaic pieces decorated with small shells, pearls, beads, flowers, and metallic embellishments, with several panels showing hands holding the items.

The Afternoon Club making Mosaics in Shells

Four men gathered around a workbench in a workshop, handling small colourful glass tiles and making mosaics. Tools hang on the wall behind them, and a white cooler is visible on the table.

A close-up, top-down view of a person's hands using tiling tools to create a yellow glass tile mosaic flower set on a green and white polka dot tablecloth.

Men's Shed making Herring Craft Hub Making Yellow Iris

On returning home, the creative design process started. My final design involved a fluid wave, working from right to left, with the history and heritage of the Island on the right, flowing into the natural flora and fauna, with references to the Island as it is today. Running throughout was a river of herring, all to be made by the community, as were many of the individual elements. Starlings made by the school pupils would sit on a line above the door.

A hand-drawn black ink concept sketch of a mosaic design, featuring a spiral on the right, and flowing areas, pathways, and small illustrative icons.

My ideas submitted to FOSK, which met with approval.

Gray WEDI panels laid out on a gravel surface, with a hose pipe coiled on top.

Planning the Shape of the Wedi Board

Wedi board laid out on a burgundy church aisle runner, photographed in a real indoor environment with pews and wooden chairs visible.

Laid out in the Kirk for Size!

The second week landed over Easter weekend in April, and whilst it was supposed to include a lot of making, in reality, there were a lot of drop in events, with more teaching the basics repeatedly. The core group of volunteers assisted alongside. However, we made great progress in making herring and shell mosaics.

Several women gathered around a table in a community setting, working on their mosaics. The table is covered with various small objects, including dishes, cups, and papers, in a warmly lit indoor room.

Three fish-shaped mosaic art pieces made from cut glass tiles, shown on a light green patterned surface, clear plastic, and white background.

Three mosaic fish mosaic pieces displayed vertically on a white surface. The top fish uses pastel tile shapes including beige, green, yellow, and gray.

A mosaic oyster catcher made from black, white, and orange tile pieces, placed on a white mesh

A handmade mosaic piece depicting a sheep, made from white and silver glass tiles, black ears, set out on mesh

A mosaic art piece depicting a lighthouse, constructed from small black, white, beige, and blue tiles, taped onto a white mesh background held with yellow tape.

Sanday Lighthouse, made by Magda

I also delivered making sessions at the school, where their drawings of multicoloured starlings were interpreted in mosaic on sticky backed plastic.

A 3x3 grid of nine bird mosaic art pieces made from colorful broken glass, each mounted on a small white card on a light wood surface.

Between the second and third visit, I created various elements to include in the mosaic and then used a new process, learned at the British Association for Modern Mosaic forum 2026 which was to include images fired onto tiles. This incorporated a lot of the images that I had taken on week one, and also a lot of in-person and online research that I had completed.

A collage of vintage and historical photographs, featuring black-and-white scenes with people, vehicles, buildings, and a small red fire station. The collage includes photos of a lighthouse, a red post box, a red vintage car, and agricultural scenes.

A collage of multiple rectangular panels showing varied scenes and objects: stained-glass windows, horses, maps, vintage papers, rocks, sand, water, and outdoor landscapes.

Images Applied to the Digital Transfer Paper

Black and white historical photograph showing a group of workers standing behind wooden barrels on a rocky outdoor surface, with the caption 'Staff of Scottish Herring Girls Packing Herring' along the bottom.

A mosaic piece depicting three women in aprons standing side by side, crafted from small coloured tiles on fibreglass mesh

Photo source: University of Washington My interpretation of a couple of the Herring Girls

My final two week visit was to complete the elements, finish the background, grout what we could inside and install and adhere and grout, clean up, then get my ferry home!

So this included more drop in sessions, and some very late nights. By this stage, there was a core group of volunteers who came every day to help progress the project. Two volunteers helped from the Men's Shed to help template, then install the complex mosaic on the exterior walls, and finally, the mosaic was done! The grouting around the edges was finished in a gale force 5 (no rain thankfully) at 9.30 at night ready for the opening event the next day.