Project
Conservation, restoration and reconstruction of the large mosaic "Man's Relationship with Nature and Technology" (1980-1984)
Location
Moskauer Platz, Erfurt
Year
2019
Technique
Conservation and restoration of large-formated wall mosaic
Client
Wüstenrot Stiftung
Conservation and restoration of a large mosaic: van Treeck has been commissioned by the Wüstenrot Foundation to restore the mosaic "Man's Relationship to Nature and Technology" (1980-1984) by the Spanish artist Josep Renau (1907-1982).
The mosaic, which measures approximately 7 x 30 metres and has been a listed building in Thuringia since 2008, was saved from destruction, professionally removed and stored prior to the demolition of the Culture and Leisure Centre on Moskauer Platz in 2012.The restorers thinned the stored sections down to the setting mortar, cleaned them and mapped the damage.
They reassembled broken mosaic elements, positioned them in the structure and filled the mosaic joints with sand from behind. For missing tiles they inserted placeholders. Once all the tiles were in place, the back of the mosaic was grouted. A reinforcing mesh was then laid into the mortar to strengthen it. Once the mortar had set, they turned the sections over and cleaned the glass surfaces of the individual mosaic tiles. They filled the gaps with material from the existing tiles or with new tiles.
Finally, the stones were re-grouted. The new mosaic stones blend into the overall picture in terms of materiality and colour. The signs of age have not been covered over; on closer inspection, the additions remain recognisable as such. In the autumn of 2019, the mural was reinstalled on Moskauer Platz in Erfurt.
