Update: The shop at 10 Wilson Street in Geraldine that housed the mosaic and giant jersey has closed.
One knitting machine mechanic broke the teeth off industrial knitting machine disks until he had 1,500,000 pieces. He then stuck those 1,500,000 pieces down with masking tape until he had a 34 metre metal canvas. Why? He wanted to re-create a mosaic version of the Bayeux Tapestry, and after 20 years of breaking, sticking, drawing and painting, Michael Linton did it!
Guinness Book of Records – world’s largest spring steel mosaic
Given Michael’s dedication it might not come as a surprise that there is more to the mosaic than meets the eye, there is a puzzle in the background waiting to be solved. Two 12 year old boys from Christchurch have come the closest to solving the puzzle since Medieval Mosaic opened to the public 12 years ago. If you find yourself in Geraldine, working on the puzzle might be the perfect solution for a rainy afternoon.
If a knitting machine mechanic created the world’s largest spring steel mosaic, what did a knitting machine mechanic’s wife do? Gillian Linton knitted the world’s largest jersey, with a helping hand from her husband.
The Giant Jersey in Geraldine
Giant Jersey makes it to the Guinness Book of Records
Their daughter? Rachael Linton spent five years helping her father Michael complete the finale section of the mosaic. The finale section added 8 metres and another 500,000 pieces of steel taking the story from the end of the Battle of Hastings to the Coronation of William the Conqueror.
There is a Mr Linton junior, he has a degree in computer science and assisted his father with the DVD-ROM version of the mosaic – you could say it’s a close-knit family affair.
I got a very nice email from Michael and Gillian at The Giant Jersey letting me know about the Stamford Bridge section of the mosaic which literally completes the picture, but never made it into my notes. I was impressed enough already but this section added another 1,000,000 pieces, taking the mosaic to 3,000,000 pieces in total. It has taken 33.5 years to complete, weighs nearly 500kg and measures 64 metres.
I’ve often thought of the saying ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’ when I’ve thought a project might be too big or scary to tackle. The saying has a Kiwi context for me now as a 3,000,000 piece mosaic started with a single tooth and it will serve as inspiration for a long time to come.