A walk among curves: experiencing Smithson’s Spiral Jetty
In 2017, stepping onto Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty was an unexpected revelation. While the 1,500-foot basalt sculpture decorating Utah’s Great Salt Lake is often seen from above, walking its path feels entirely different. The unending earth and sky blur together in a meditative journey where the destination is simply its center—or exit. There, immersed in nothingness, you’re asked to retrace your steps, enveloped by salt crystals, mud, and rocks, with the absence of familiar scale enhancing the experience.
The art of leisurely detours: labyrinths inviting play
Labyrinths, unlike corridors, celebrate the joy of the non-essential route. They expand movement until the walk itself is the goal. In spaces such as the Longleat Hedge Maze in Wiltshire, movement becomes a playful exercise. These green pathways, often without a clear purpose, encourage you to lose yourself in the freedom of the wandering path, inviting a shift away from the rigidity of productivity.
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Mazes versus labyrinths: navigating choice and surrender
The terms maze and labyrinth are often confused, yet their meanings diverge significantly. Mazes, with their forking paths and dead ends, thrive on choice and uncertainty. The thrill is in the challenge and eventual solution. Labyrinths, however, like the Maze of 1972 by Alice Aycock, are meditative in nature, consisting of a single, undivided path. Here, the journey becomes a rhythmic surrender as you walk its choreographed route without decisions or wrong turns.
From sacred path to art installation: a history of labyrinths
Labyrinths have a storied past, from Egyptian antiquity to medieval cathedrals. They resurfaced in art during the 1970s when artists like Alice Aycock and Robert Morris revived them. Aycock’s Maze of 1972 challenged visitors with concentric circles, while Morris built eight-foot-high labyrinths to transform the visitor’s experience. These works turned sculpture into an immersive journey, evoking both anxiety and wonder through physical engagement.
Venice’s Borges Labyrinth: an interplay of maze and myth
In Venice, the recently restored Borges Labyrinth blurs the lines between maze and labyrinth. It’s a homage to Jorge Luis Borges, whose own works teem with labyrinthine themes. Viewed from above, it resembles an open book, but walking it is a different story. The maze’s km-long corridors demand engagement with the present moment and a shift from the overarching design to the joy of immediacy.
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The labyrinth’s allure continues with creations like Franco Maria Ricci’s Labirinto della Masone, inspired by Borges. Opened in 2015 near Fontanellato, it spans 300,000 bamboo plants, featuring a plan littered with crossroads and dead ends. This work, tied to a promise made in 1977, invites exploration and introspection within its towering green walls.
Sources & Links
Source: designboom.com
Frequently asked questions
What is unique about walking Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty?
Walking Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty offers a meditative journey where the earth and sky blur together, leading to its center. The experience is enhanced by the absence of familiar scale, enveloping the walker with salt crystals, mud, and rocks.
How do mazes and labyrinths differ?
Mazes are characterized by forking paths and dead ends, focusing on choice and uncertainty, while labyrinths consist of a single, undivided path, offering a meditative journey with no decisions or wrong turns.
Who revived labyrinths in the 1970s art scene?
Artists like Alice Aycock and Robert Morris revived labyrinths in the 1970s art scene. Aycock’s Maze of 1972 challenged visitors with concentric circles, while Morris’s labyrinths transformed the visitor’s experience.