Dezeen Magazine

High-definition Stone Mosaics by Exactmosaics

San Francisco mosaic studio Exactmosaics creates high-definition mosaics using pattern recognition software to select pieces of natural stone.

Nick Berg and Alan Roth developed the software to scan millions of marble tiles, selecting the optimal pieces to reproduce a certain image and work out the placing and orientation of each piece.

The tiles are then arranged and set by hand using traditional mosaic-making techniques, to create a more detailed image than is otherwise possible.

The following information is from Exactmosaics:

--

Exactmosaics, a studio in San Francisco, is making stone mosaics by using pattern recognition software to line-up the striations within millions of marble pieces.

Exactmosaics introduced high-definition stone mosaics created by using the natural marbling within stone. By using the natural striations and veining within the stone, the company's mosaics achieve greater detail per stone than the commonly seen "pixel tile mosaics".

Nick Berg and Alan Roth founded the studio in 2006 after they discovered ways to apply modern artificial intelligence software to the ancient art of mosaic making. They create these mosaics by photographing millions of tiles that are made from natural materials. Next, Berg and Roth evaluate the shape, texture, and colours within each tile using proprietary technology. Finally, each stone piece is individually selected and hand-placed to compose the larger image.

Co-founder, Alan Roth claims that the mosaics are another example of technology allowing designers to transcend human limitations. "Ancient mosaic artists could not have achieved the visual detail of an Exactmosaic piece because they faced human limitations in memory capacity", says Roth. "In fact, a mosaic artist in ancient Rome would have needed perfect visual recall of several thousand stones to render the same level of detail."

Exactmosaics will be a first time exhibitor at SURFACES 2008, a major convention for the floor covering industry with annual attendance of over 40,000 retailers, builders, architects, and designers. The exhibition will be at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV from January 30th to February 1st 2008. Exactmosaics will be displaying its latest mosaics, including a breathtaking large-scale mosaic of the San Francisco skyline.

The Society of American Mosaic Artists selected artwork by Nick Berg and Alan Roth (Co-founders of Exactmosaics) for inclusion in the 2008 Mosaic Arts International Juried Exhibition. This year, SAMA received entries from 180 artists. Exactmosaics' "Lotus Green Flower" was one of only 64 mosaics that the jury selected for inclusion in the show. The show will be held at the Bakehouse Art Complex in Miami, FL from April 3 to April 30, 2008.

--

Posted by Rose Etherington