Storm Goddess - Frances Green

The Great Goddess is not only the giver of life, she also takes it away. She is warmth, sustenance, shelter... she is storms, earthquakes, destruction. Mother Nature is not always gentle and kind - once unleashed, her rage is both awe inspiring and terrifying.

This mosaic shows one of her less peaceful aspects. Here, she is the storm. She is driving the storm, the storm is driving her. But she is also spinning out of control - no one can control the power of the storm, not even she herself. No one knows where its going or where the pieces will fall once it has blown itself out.

The swirls of the storm incorporate pictures of some of the scary, crazy, amazing, wonderful, terrible influences currently pulling our world in different directions. Whether the influences are for good or bad is a matter of opinion, where it will end a matter of speculation, but I know I'm not alone in feeling frightened. The storm however isn't frightened, she just is. Her face is an island of calm in the center of all the surrounding chaos, she looks serene and joyous - who doesn't love a good storm?

The pictures within the mosaic are not in any particular symbolic order of up/down, right/left, good/bad, dark/light... I placed them where they fitted in best according to the colour of the mosaic.

On the top left hand side there's a picture of a cockroach. Cockroaches are not usually seen as forces for good, but I put it here as a hopeful image. It represents the life force in every living being. You often hear that after a nucular war the only survivors would be the cockroaches - apparently that is not based on fact, but I do believe, if the worst comes to the worst and we manage to wipe out all of humankind and probably a large number of the other inhabitants of Earth while we're at it... I believe that life will continue in some form or other.  And if its the cockroaches who survive, good for them.

Below that is the sun... from which we get warmth, light, vitamin D, solar flares, skin cancer, global warming... it shows us that behind the clouds of even the fiercest storm, the sun will still be shining. Admittedly it might take a while for it to get through after a nucular Winter, but it will be there.

Starting from the center of the dark upper swirl the first image is of Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany. I see her as an island of sanity and stability in the current political landscape. I think we should have far more women in positions of power, and btw, women are entitled to be just as fallible as men are. I also think that a strong and united Europe is a very desirable thing in these times of shifting power balances. The world would probably be a better place if we had more politicians like Angela Merkel running things.

The next picture is of a woman wearing a niqab, standing for equal rights, obviously. But also against Islamophobia - I purposely chose a woman with a  slightly challenging expression. I'm amazed at how much aggression and fear a picture like this will often provoke. I once had a fascinating conversation with a women who wears a veil in public. She is articulate, intelligent, and has a great sense of humour. She wears a veil by choice because it is part of her culture and part of her belief system. I still object deeply to cultures that force women (or men) to cover up whatever parts of their anatomy - ours too! Free the nipple! But hating and fearing individuals because they are different is not the solution. So the niqab itself and the reactions to it disturb me about equally.

The next one is Malala - no need for explanation, right? A force for good against unbelievable odds, and an inspiration to us all. If she can still stand up fearlessly for what is right, after all she's been through, surely we can persevere and turn these current developments around!

Next up is a bunch of newspapers. They're from the UK in this case, but they stand for the press in general, all over the world. Some people think that journalists need to be controlled and persecuted... some think they should be free to write what they want about whatever they want. Some people think they always lie, some people think they're in the pockets of various interest groups. Its funny, I feel that in the last half year or so, journalists have moved from being shifty blighters who we need to keep a good eye on, to definitely absolutely being the good guys, a major defence against totalitarian regimes everywhere. This is a classic case of only appreciating something once you might loose it... Free press , please oh please lets keep free press!

Putin. What can I say? I do not like what is happening over there one little bit. I'd really rather not find out what he is working towards.

And on the right hand point of the upper swirl we have Trump. I was worried this mosaic would end up centered too much on the US, because the problems and challenges facing us are global. But lets face it, this mosaic was conceived and inspired by his election and his actions ever since. So yes, it is US centric.

Following the swirl, we come to the Pope. I am highly suspicious of organised religion, religious fundamentalism is responsable for so much intolerance and hate the world over. So its very interesting that I included the heads of two major organised religions on this mosaic as forces for good. This current pope impresses me no end.

Next is a picture of two hands holding onto prison bars, symbolising lack or loss of basic freedoms for far too many people around the world, and fear that this will increase if things continue the way they seem to be headed now. Don't get me started on for profit prisons! How could that ever be a good idea???

To the left of the Goddess' arms we have the Dalai Lama, the second religious leader on this mosaic. He was dealt a very difficult hand and has against all odds become a figure who is rightfully admired and revered all the world over. I'm taking Tibet to represent annexed or suppressed countries and peoples. China has a lot to answer for in this case and is certainly also observing current global developments with great interest.

Left of the Dalai Lama is a pile of books. Knowledge, or rather lack of it, is the root of many of the more sinister current trends. The books here are old, because knowledge and understanding of our past helps us understand the present and may help us shape the future.

The final image on this swirl is a selection of news outlet logos - representing free press again, but also internet communication. It has never before been easier to get information on any topic whatsoever, it has probably never been harder to suppress information either, or to spread false information... it has also never been harder to sift through all the information and try to decide what is true and what is fake. For better or worse, this is technology shaping our world today.

On the right hand side of the Goddess' hair there is a picture of some demonstrators in pussy hats from the women's marches in the US. It is inspiring to see people going out and standing up peacefully for what they believe to be right. Not only in the US, I had pictures of peaceful demonstrations from all over the place, but picked this one because... well: pussy hats, they are cool. Lets hope there are enough people who will continue to do so, that people will be legally allowed to do so... and that it will make a difference.

The blue stripe at the hight of her naval, from left to right:  First off a LGBT rainbow fist. Equal rights for all... lets hope these rights will not be eroded in the US and that more people all over the world will be able to live and love freely the way they want. Although right now, in too many places, it seems to be going in the other direction.

The next picture is one of the boats in the Mediterranean full of refugees from Syria. It was very hard to choose some of these pictures, and this one, while I was sticking glass to it, then grouting and polishing the tess, I was aware that every little dot on that picture is a human being who has been through horrors I don't even want to imagine. These here are the "lucky" ones, the ones who made it to the Mediterranean and who were sighted before their boat capsized - if anyone who has to flee their country can ever be considered lucky.

The third picture in this row is a group of test tubes/flacons - science, knowledge, research, a blessing or a curse? On the one hand I am deeply in favour of scientific  peer reviewed studies as a method for gaining knowledge on any subject you care to name. Research should be as independent as possible, but at the same time it is very expensive and can also lead to enormous profits. Letting the free market decide on prices for drugs - for instance - is evidently not a good idea. And don't get me started on for profit health care. That is rather a lot for a couple of test tubes to stand in for though, isn't it?

To the right of her navel there is a puddle of water covered by a film of oil. The colours are beautiful... oil-contaminated water not so much. Renewable energy sources, anyone?

Next is a picture of a whale, just because. These creatures are so fascinating, we know so little about them, and who knows if they'll even last long enough for us to learn more.

The final image in this row is Brexit - another shocking and unexpected vote, another "where on earth is this all going to end?" moment. Buckle up, because like it or not, we're going to find out.

The light stripe of clouds from left to right: The first picture is of a bundle of banknotes, because so much nowadays comes down to money - lack of it, wanting more of it, having too much of it. Plenty of studies show that higher income inequality reduces the quality of life for both the haves and the have nots, but at the same time income inequality is increasing at an alarming rate all over. Go figure.

To the left of her knees is a "coexist" sign. I have nothing against any religions or beliefs, so long as they also respect mine. For goodness' sake just live an let live, why is this so hard? Too much of religion seems to be about hating, suppressing and controlling others.

To the right of her knees there's an image of five interlinking hands with five different skin colours. What goes for religion also goes for skin colour... live and let live, we're all in this together. Unfortunately racism isn't just going to disappear anytime soon.

The next one is more of the same: The black power sign, another inspiring instance of people standing up for their rights. Its nowhere near where it should be, work in progress... And like so much else here, in the current political climate, things will likely get worse before they get better.

Finally, an archive picture of an atomic mushroom cloud. Too many atomic bombs are in the hands of people who are too trigger happy by far. I don't even want to think about it. But unfortunately I do.

The last Swirl by her feet, starting from the right and working inwards: The first image is one of the most chilling to me. It is of a perfectly nice US family posing with their guns. Seriously, I just don't get the thing Americans have for guns. I live in a country where many households have a gun - but locked away for use in the case of war, not paraded around on a Sunday afternoon pick-nick!

The next is a Polar bear... who may soon become extinct because of global warming and the melting of the ice caps.

To the right of her feet is a lovely picture representing another whole mixture of politics and religion, a conflict with no end in sight, which can stand for many more similar situations all over the world.

To the left of her feet: A wolf. Wolves are coming back to Switzerland after having been extinct here for many years, which I think is very cool. Then there are people who don't want them to make a comeback and keep shooting them. The kind of story that is playing out in many places around the world..

The picture right on the left of this swirl is one of the protestors of Standing Rock, a man on a horse facing a line of tanks. The outcome was sadly expected and disappointing, but what a heartwarming show of solidarity and pride in their heritage. People all over the world were rooting for them. Renewable energy sources, anyone?

Going on down: The Chinese Wall - standing in for all kinds of walls built between all kinds of boundaries. History doesn't seem to show this to be a particularly successful way of going about things, but hey, people keep on trying.

The next image is of parched earth. Global warming, floods, drought... Is access to clean drinking water a right or a privilege? Will the earth be able to sustain an ever growing population?

The next is another very nasty picture: a sea turtle caught in piece of plastic. The amount of plastic in our oceans in horrendous, and that is another thing that is likely to get worse before it might one day hopefully get better.

The last image on this swirl is a tank. Because war. I don't want to live through one if at all possible. I'm sure a great many other people don't want to either. I expect people living in a war zone would really like it to stop. There are absolutely things worth fighting for... but lets try to work towards less wars, yeah?

The very last picture on the bottom left hand side is a small dandelion working its way through asphalt. Isn't it amazing how you can have six feet of concrete, and somewhere underneath there is a little seed just patiently waiting to work its way through? Life cannot be contained.