Trencadís

In French, pique assiette ('plate thief') is a term for a scrounger or sponger, and thus, as a name for this mosaic technique, it refers to the recycled or 'scrounged' nature of the materials.

[1][2] Traditional mosaics, such as classical Roman floors, are made up of individual tesserae, usually small cubes that are uniformly shaped and designed for their intended use.

Alternatively, an artist may spontaneously arrange fragments without a prior design; here the success of the finished work depends greatly on their improvisation skills.

The Catalan modernist architects Antoni Gaudí[3] and Josep Maria Jujol used trencadís in many projects, among which Barcelona's Parc Güell (1900–1914) is probably the most famous.

In France, the term pique assiette is most closely associated with Raymond Edouard Isidore (1900–1964) a French graveyard sweeper and folk artist.

[1] The Watts Towers in Los Angeles were built over a period of 30 years by Simon Rodia, a construction worker and tile mason.

Rodia built them without a premade plan, using damaged pieces from local tile companies and materials scavenged by neighborhood children.