T h e   B i r t h d a y    P l a y l i s t 

I recently turned 60 years old and to celebrate the occasion we threw a big bash and I made a playlist of music to play at the party. This compilation was comprised of some favorite songs,  and some songs were just whatever popped up on our computer and seemed to fit with the sequencing. I was feeling hurried, but I  did gather over four hours of music!  Did I play any of it?  Hardly. The computer's juice ran out early on, and I became too caught up with people, (and all the food!). So in honor of missing the chance to share music with friends, family and acquaintances, I decided to re-create that Birthday Playlist, visually. Of course, I created the parameters of this project and they are: each piece must contain a heart shape; I must not delete any songs from the playlist; the songs must be titled in the order of the playlist; I can make them, though, in any order; and I would try to interpret the spirit or meaning of what I see/hear in the song,

​ The playlist had 63 songs on it but two of those were different renditions of the same song, so I hope to make 61 pieces. Eventually. Here is what I have come up with so far and I have included a music player near each piece so you can listen to the song in question.
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"The Birthday Playlist: #1 Obatala!"

This Song is Dedicated to the Berkeley High Jazz Program
photo of glass mosaic heart. the heart is off white with a green circle in the middle with white streams floating off the sides from the spokes which are green and on top of the heart like a russian tiara. the background is cobalt blue and there is a text under the heart which says
"The Birthday Playlist: #1 Obatala" 8"x7.5"x2.75" glass mosaic on wood with text ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015

Hearing "Obatala" I often conjure up a big "O" of wonderment. I hear JOY!
That is why "AYO" is written beneath the heart --- it means joy in Yoruba and Obatala is the name of a Yoruba deity who is also embraced as a god in  the Santeria religion. He is an old god who made earth and humans and is associated with creativity and also the color white.  The song "Obatala" is a Latin jazz tune (in the mambo style, I think), written by Hideaki Nakaji. This version of the song is played by the 2014/2015 Berkeley High Jazz Band and it became their signature song for the year. This cut is from  the band's performance at the 2015 Reno Jazz Festival  where Berkeley High placed First in their division. The Band also played an exuberant rendition of "Obatala" at their final concert, from where I treasure a lasting image of one particular baritone sax player decked out in a rich green robe, crowned by a Russian-style tiara headdress.
​I hear Joy! 
detail of photo of glass heart mosaic / bottom of off white heart in cobalt background with the
"The Birthday Playlist: #1 Obatala" (detail - ayo) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015
Click on the music player below to hear The 2015 Berkeley High Jazz Band play "Obatala!"

"The Birthday Playlist: #4 Who Knows Where the Time Goes?"

This Song is Dedicated to Claudia
glass heart mosaic. the heart is clear glass over drawings of violets. the drawings are lavender and some green. the background is green with purple flecks and the spokes around the heart are photos of a leaf that looks like wings! there is a clock face in the middle of the heart
"The Birthday Playlist: #4 Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" 8"x7.5"x2" glass mosaic on wood with text, photos, watch and drawings ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015
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Click on the arrow to hear Sandy Denny sing "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?".
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 "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?"  was written by Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention and she and Fairport Convention perform it in this version. This is an achingly beautiful treatment of time and the song's sentiments mirror my  own inability to wrestle with time's constraints and meaning. Please note the tiny ?'s interspersed throughout the green.
detail of mosaic, green background with little question marks sprinkle throughout
"The Birthday Playlist: #4 Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" (detail) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015

"The Birthday Playlist #5: Blue Moon"

This Song is Dedicated to Jeff
photo of glass mosaic on wood/ blue heart with lavender, white spokes in black background with bed on bottom and brooch in blackbackground. black background has mirror as stars
"The Birthday Playlist: #5 Blue Moon 7"x13.25"x2.75" glass mosaic on wood with text, textbook illustrations and brooch ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015
detail of under bed with text
"The Birthday Playlist: #5 Blue Moon (detail) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015
detail of image under bed and mosaic bed. the bed is light green with a white and green pillow all made of glass and the under bed image is text: I am afraid to die and images of serpents
"The Birthday Playlist: #5 Blue Moon (detail) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015
Click on the music player above to hear "Blue Moon" performed by Dark Star.

"Blue Moon" is performed by the group Dark Star and was written by Alex Chilton of Dark Star. I first heard this song on a bassoon mix tape --- and the bassoon is absolutely gorgeous in this.  Moody.  
​Here is a bit of the lyrics: 
"Morning comes and sleeping's done/ Birds sing outside/ If demons come while you're under/ I'll be a blue moon in the sky".
​ (When I was a kid I used to have the recurring nightmare of snakes under  and around the bed.)

photo of glass mosaic heart blue on background with lavender spokes (detail)
"The Birthday Playlist: #5 Blue Moon (detail) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015

"The Birthday Playlist: #6 You Found Me"

This Song is Dedicated to the Mount San Antonio Community College Art and Design Department
photo of glass mosaic heart. the heart is red with a zigzag stripe down the middle with nails in it. It is on a white glass background,but the upper portion has a photo under transparent glass. It is a very purple photo of the coast of Maine. On the bottom there is an altar like protrusion with a flower like vase turned on its side facing the audience. the vase is made from dichroic glass so looks rainbow like with an emphasis on colors in the blue/indigo spectrum!!!
"The Birthday Playlist: #6 You Found Me" 5.75"x 13.7"x2" glass mosaic on wood with nails, photos, and copper wire ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015
detail image of white background which includes 4 photos of a dead bird (forgot to mention in past description, sorry) and the vase-like structure covered in dichroic glass which sits on the altar floor which is covered in pieces of copper wire used as an inlay
"The Birthday Playlist: #6 You Found Me" (detail) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015 .jpg
photo of glass mosaic heart/ the heart is read with copper and steel nails bisecting in a zigzag fashion. this is a detail image of the heart. also, there is a small green circle in the upper right hand section of the heart. the heart is really reddish orange
"The Birthday Playlist: #6 You Found Me" (detail) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015

"You Found Me" is written and performed by The Fray. I had never heard this song before I tossed it into my Playlist. I have become quite fond of  it, as it reminds me of being young, not necessarily the good part of being young, but the struggle part .  I appreciate the intensity of emotion and I like how the longing and despair is tempered with a sliver of hope. I once felt like that .
detail of copper wire inlaid floor of altar and vase structure
"The Birthday Playlist: #6 You Found Me" (detail) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015
Click on the music player to hear "You Found Me" as performed by The Fray.

"The Birthday Playlist : #19 When the Saints Go Marching In"

This Song is Dedicated to A.J. Rossi
photo of glass and ceramic mosaic on wood. There is a green heart shape with three circles over photos of lilacs, surrounded by gold mirrored glass.Around this heart there is a halo that is composed of text under glass. The text reads: I want to be in that number, repeated over and over. The background is a deep lavender color in ceramic. On the bottom, there is a 3-d shelf that emulates a piano keyboard.
"The Birthday Playlist: #19 When the Saints Go Marching In" 6.75"x6.75"x2" glass and ceramic mosaic on wood with photos and text ©Diana Maria Rossi 2016

I included two versions of “When the Saints Go Marching In” on my playlist,  because it was one of my Father’s favorite songs and also, because it is one of those tunes that lends itself to improvisation and just about every version sounds different from the last. The origins of the song are somewhat in dispute, but it is known as an American gospel hymn that is performed by jazz bands. The lyrics are numerous and can change. 

For my interpretation, I chose to use  New Orleans Mardi Gras colors. (I spent 3 years of my growing up in Southern Louisiana, one of those years in New Orleans.) The Mardi Gras colors were selected in 1892 and purple connotes justice, green faith, and gold power. Those sound like Saints’ colors to me!

I thought of those three ovals on the facade of the heart as generic faces with the mirrored gold as auras or “halos”. Under the face ovals I used photos of lilacs (kind of faint and not too recognizable — but that is ok). Lilacs are in my personal pantheon of “favorite flowers”. I wanted flowers because I had been thinking of one of my  revered childhood saints,  St. Therese of Lisieux who was called “The Little Flower”.

Around the heart, I created a full body nimbus with the words, “I want to be in that number”, inscribed over and over and over. This is in reference to the very same repeating line of the verse. Originally I had intended to use the line, “you ARE in that number”, but I think that might have been on an unusually optimistic day, and I decided to go with “reality”.

I needed to include a piano keyboard because “When the Saints Go Marching In” is forever associated by me with the surprise farewell party that my parents’ family threw for us when we moved to Louisiana in 1967. We walked into the surprise party in an upstairs reception hall and one of my cousins (was it Johnny Tuch?) was tapping  out the melody on the piano.
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I was able to expand my color palate in this piece by using the purple ceramic (thank you Nancy Aly!) in combination with my more usual glass. In my opinion, purple is such a glorious color! worthy of a saint.

photo of detail of glass mosaic heart with halo made of text reading: I want to be in that number. There is a lavender ceramic background.
"The Birthday Playlist : #19 When the Saints Go Marching In" (detail) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2016
Click above to listen to Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra's rendition of "When the Saints Come Marching In". I believe this was recorded in the 1930's.
Or click below to listen to Fats Domino's live version.
detail photo of green glass heart mosaic that is looking down on the white and black keyboard "The Birthday Playlist : #19 When the Saints Go Marching In" (detail) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2016

" The Birthday Playlist: #20 What a Wonderful World"

This Song is Dedicated to Beth K.
detail of photo of glass mosaic heart. heart is transparent glass over photos of roses and the roses are orange and yellow. the background is cobalt blue with black swirls
"The Birthday Playlist - #20 What a Wonderful World (detail) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015

"What a Wonderful World" is performed by the inimitable Louis Armstrong. The song was written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss..  
"The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night" ---- how lovely!  Many years ago, I remember reading a picture book for children that was based on the lyrics to this song. I long for the place of this song's simple beauty -- and oh, the way that Mr. Armstrong sings it!!!
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Click on the music player to hear Louis Armstrong sing "What a Wonderful World"
photo of glass heart/ the heart is made of transparent glass over photos of orange/yellow roses that shine through/ there are flecks of cobalt and intense green interspersed throughout the heart. the background is cobalt blue with swirls of black and there is a pinkish orb above the heart
"The Birthday Playlist: #20 What a Wonderful World 13.25"x6.5"x 2" glass mosaic on wood with photos ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015

"The Birthday Playlist #21: Welcome Home"

This Song is Dedicated to Sister Alexandria
photo of glass mosaic heart on a house-shaped structure, kind of like a tree-house. The heart is pink and light blue with a photo of a nest mosaic in the center. This next mosaic photo is small and offset by yellow spokes. The tree structure is yellow and blue and it sits on a strip of
"The Birthday Playlist: #21 Welcome Home 10.5"x12.75"x3" glass mosaic on wood with photos, drawing and painted wooden bird (found object) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015
detail of bottom of house like structure with text that reads:
"The Birthday Playlist: #21 Welcome Home" (detail) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2015

"Welcome Home" is written and performed by Ben Cooper of Radical Face.  This was a complex tune for me to interpret and it was one of those accidental Playlist picks. But, now I love it! I think it ended up in my Playlist because of those opening wind chimes.
The photo under the background of the sculpture is of  2015's Blood Moon  and I played with using a classic quilt pattern,  log cabin, (or wonky log cabin), as a way to lay down the transparent tesserae. I had been reading quilting manuals while I was composing this piece and I thought that using a classic quilt pattern might make the piece feel more at home. The photo in the middle of the heart is of a bird's nest paper mosaic that I made in 5th grade -- my first mosaic!
​ Here is a snippet of the lyrics: 
"Peel the scars from off my back/ I don't need them anymore/ You can throw them out or keep them in your mason jars /I've come home."
The image of the mason jars immediately made me think of only one thing :  catching lightening bugs on humid, New England summer  nights and putting them in jars (with holes poked into the lids for air), making our own lanterns. In some parts of the country, they call them "fireflies" and that text was my way of interpreting the tune's ambiguity. Or. A Hopeful Spin...
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Click on the white sliver above to hear Radical Face sing "Welcome Home".
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" The Birthday Playlist: #42 Jacob's Ladder"

This Song is Dedicated to Jacob Krasniewicz, my Grandfather
photo of glass mosaic. The mosaic features a black heart, studded with multi-colored beads. There is text lining the sides of the mosaic and it reads: we are brothers sister all. This is written in repetition. There is a diamond pattern in the background and the background is cream colored and minty green. The diamond pattern is laid out with very thin threads or rods of glass that are normally used in glass blowing. There are five photographs of roses placed throughout the diamonds. There is a floor to this mosaic, kind of like a small altar and the glass is laid in a black/white pattern on thefloor. Thank you for taking the time to experience my work.
"The Birthday Playlist: #42 Jacob's Ladder" 4.25" x12.75"x 2.25" glass mosaic on wood with photos, text, rickrack, and beads ©Diana Maria Rossi 2016


“Jacob’s Ladder” is an African American spiritual that has been performed in different variations by many performers. The recording that inspired my sculpture is Bruce Springsteen’s interpretation of the version originally performed by Pete Seeger. This is the rendition that has the refrain, “we are brothers, sisters all”. (Which I just love.). This refrain comprises the text running down the sides of this sculpture.

I have discovered that there are many different cultural manifestations of “Jacob’s Ladder” beginning with the biblical story and including a children’s string game, a children’s wooden block puzzle, and a geometric concept in mathematics. Except for the children’s wooden block game/puzzle, I tried to keep all these visions of the term in mind, as I composed this piece. (I have already used a broken wooden Jacob’s Ladder puzzle as a base for another piece. See my sculpture, “Junior High”.) The crossed diagonals or diamond shapes are very directly lifted from the string game pattern. The math idea deals more with topographic infinity, and I think I was only able to incorporate that part in intent, thinking of the song lifting us “higher and higher”. 

This piece became very personal to me when I decided to acknowledge my maternal Grandfather, who was named Jacob. He is at the center of this piece. I used black glass for the heart to symbolize the black velveteen Polish folk costume vests, that my Babci (Grandmother) brought back for many of her granddaughters from Poland. These vests are laced, crisscross, in the middle (like the Jacob’s Ladder string game!), and are decorated in elaborate patterns using multi-colored sequences and beads. The bottoms of the vests are trimmed in rickrack. I tried to evoke these vests in how I made the heart. And I used real rickrack, under the glass trimming the bottom edge of this piece. 

My Grandfather Jacob loved to grow roses and that is why I placed the rose photos (from my garden) up and up “the ladder”.  I never had the privilege of meeting Jacob, (as have none of his 25 grandchildren), but I grew up with stories of his kindness, nurturing and his homesickness for his native land. (He also knew how to sew without a pattern and once made my Aunt a coat trimmed with fur.) I thought of his descendants, climbing his ladder, aiming for perfection or heaven or just something out of reach,  making the world better, all together, brothers sisters all.

photo of gladd mosaic. this is a detail of the mid section which includes the black heart studded with multi- colored beads
"The Birthday Playlist: #42 Jacob's Ladder" (detail) Diana Maria Rossi ©2016
photo of glass mosaic, this is a detail and includes the background section which is cream colored and minty green. The cream and green are in a diamond pattern similar to the Jacob's Ladder string game. There are three photographs of roses set into the diamonds or between them.
"The Birthday Playlist: #42 Jacob's Ladder" (detail) Diana Maria Rossi ©2016
photo of glass mosaic heart and this is a detail of the heart which is black with white lacing down the middle, studded with multi-colored beads"The Birthday Playlist: #42 Jacob's Ladder" (detail) Diana Maria Rossi ©2016
Click the music player to hear Bruce Springsteen  play "Jacob's Ladder"
photo of glass mosaic, the floor of the mosaic which is black and white and a rickrack border under glass
"The Birthday Playlist: #42 Jacob's Ladder" (detail) Diana Maria Rossi ©2016
photo of underside of mosaic which is red glass in a rose pattern
"The Birthday Playlist: #42 Jacob's Ladder" (detail of underside) ©Diana Maria Rossi 2016