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•     alicia selian - switzerland
•     anastasiya podervánska - ukraine
•     anastazija cept - serbia and montenegro
•     babs behrendt - france
•     bas van der touw - the netherlands
•     borut korosec - slovenia
•     clemens hollerer - belgium
•     flutura & besnik haxhillari - two gullivers - canada
•     frédéric levy-hadida - france
•     gabimarie cissek - germany
•     hakan pehilivan - turkey
•     janina rudnicka - poland
•     jeff thompson - usa
•     jinson joseph - india
•     lynn cazabon - usa
•     marianne ewaldt - austria
•     marina venendaal - the netherlands
•     mateja ocepek - slovenia
•     oleksandr smyrnov - ukraine
•     tomasz domanski - poland
•     tomohiko ogawa - japan
•     tina rugelj - slovenia and luka melon - uk
•     reflexion 21 axel becker and uta kohrs - germany
•     varol topaç - turkey
• LABYRINTH in progress
• LABYRINTH plans
• LABYRINTH press

Marianne Ewaldt - Schneelabyrinth


n the meeting about the labyrinth contest the jury has made their final decision. The concepts of three artists are chosen to continue. These artists are invited to continue their idea and make on location a detailed plan for the labyrinth.

By making the decision the jury has looked after:
1. the artist’s view on the labyrinth and the artistic quality of it
2. if the idea can be developed and realized,
(is it a more open idea or almost a final idea)
3. what kind of special equipments the artist mentions
in the proposal
4. the expect costs by realization and maintenance
(as far as the application this aspect shows)

The committee is on the whole satisfied with the quality of the applications. The way the artists specified the assignment shows their different views on the phenomenon labyrinth.

 

Tomasz Domanski - proposal Saksala Labyrinth 2006	Jinson Joseph
Hakan Pehlivan - labyMosaic 2006
Flutura & Besnik Haxhillari transparent mask 3 2005	Frédéric Levy-Hadida - labyrinth project 5 - hutt

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Babs Behrendt 29.01.2006
Classical labyrinths have certain functions . After all, even these functions can very well find consideration if the path of the natural labyrinth responds to criteria.

It would be important to limit environmental degradation, giving the walker an occasion to be in tune with nature without having the impression that the forest had to sacrifice to human needs by being formed too directly.

This may include that parts of the design could concern the labyrinth traditions common to many people over the world.
This may also include the possibility of using the symbolism and the sacred meanings of these traditional designs, thus referring to the “old magic”.
In any way, it would be wise to try to adapt the design to the forest, using existing trees and bushes, just as you suggest in your call.

This labyrinth would be slowly growing to its maturity over time, the hand and the tools of man being present to enhance the beauty of the natural path. Maybe there are trees that can tell a story about themselves, their forms and deformations…the rowan with it’s wonderful display of colors, the pine trees in there austerity, and the birches singing with the breeze. Surely this forest has already a story to tell ,contained in the very fabric of the forest and the landscape, just waiting to be encountered, if we are able to look and listen.

Maybe a botanical walk could be very nice. Not only confronted to himself, the walker would learn more of nature, the diversity of plants and their uses, or become more conscious of conservation issues.
The web of natural systems in this forest-labyrinth may make the walker realize that he is part of a global life system with which he can communicate.

ART could play a great role by integrating the forest of the labyrinth.
The “labyrinth-magic” would be enhanced.
Certain pieces of art along the way could have references to ancient meanings of the labyrinth, thus telling history…some aspects of a classic labyrinth could be present in a modern artistic version.

There would not only be small paths but also open spaces with perhaps site–specific art. Artworks would be made with existing materials on hand . Depending on the position of the sun at certain moments, artwork could use its light. The wind or the rain could make changes in materials used. A co-creation with nature is possible.

ART, by bringing universes together ,could be a way to mediation between human, nature and society,. This art-experience would be unforgettable, having opened the senses and feelings with the help of nature.
In all it’s interconnectedness, diversity and wonder, the forest-labyrinth would be on the frontier between landscaping and visual arts, a place to understand nature, to understand art…

Although one hectare is not a very big space, the path should take about one hour to walk, permitting the walker to take time to stop at certain places appealing to him. There would be places to sit. After all, one function to a labyrinth is to be the a path of meditation, a “mirror of the soul”.

There are also other ideas, but now is not the moment to expose them all. I only hope to be among the artists having the privilege of an intercultural artistic and human encounter, constructing ideas in this piece of forest in Finland so far from here but so near to me.
©babs berendt 2006
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Labyrinth project – ideas by Clemens Hollerer/Austria 30.01.2006
Territory is my first keyword for the labyrinth project. When I looked at the map of the region, the first thing I noticed were the different sized properties divided by lines, which might be streets or even fences in real. People everywhere in the whole world tend to create territories, emphasizing power, privacy or just simply because their ancestors had done the same exact thing .
As for the piece of selected land for the project I also want to outline an area by itself, with the one big difference that it is open to everyone. Everyone is invited and everyone is welcome. Actually it has the purpose to even attract people and become an exciting place to explore and to remember in the middle of nowhere.

My basic idea is to outline the designated area like a fence with one color. There are several entrances to the labyrinth. Furthermore I draw 3 lines using the primary colors in a site-specific pattern through the forest. Colored tree trunks and wooden knee-high tree blocks serve as the points that form the lines. These lines will have gaps in between, so when people follow them they will eventually have a harder time to find their way out. I try to remove as few as possible trees, to state that nature does not have to be destroyed in order to be explored. Labyrinth also means chaos. I want to break that chaos by arranging particular geometrical shapes within the forest. For instance a square within a clear formation of birches will invite people to sit down and take a rest on their trip. I try to create a visual similarity but also tension between my created forms and the natural forms found in the forest. On points of the 3 lines where the forest shows significant formations or structures I will add some minimal structures made out of wood to emphasize the natural beauty and to make people aware, what beautiful piece of mother nature the have been neglecting in the past. On parts where lines will cross people are invited to change their path and start discovering new visual experiences.

Before entering the forest people are handed out a piece of paper (showing a green rectangle symbolizing the labyrinth from a birds view) and three pencils in the primary colors. They are inspired to make drafts of the patterns of the 3 lines while walking through the labyrinth. Drafts will be collected at the end of the trip and exhibited at the Saksala Art Center.
©clemens hollerer 2006
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Borut Korosec Labyrinth in the forest: Saksala ArtRadius 30.01.2006

The words that come to my mind, when thinking about labyrinth are paths (structure), points of decision, journey to unknown, identity and since the place of the labyrinth is park also nature, human presence and culture.
For the Labyrinth project I would make audio recordings of human presence, cultural environment and nature sounds.
Sounds of the human presence would be characteristic for human beings (sneezing, laughter, whistling of popular song, coughing – all nonverbal), then short calls (“Is that you Lauri? ... Lauri? .....Is that you?....«, »..To hell with the boss«) and short dialogs (he says:« You know you shouldn't do that. », she answers: »Why not?«). So reaching a certain point in the park you would hear distant laughing or short dialog between two persons, as if somebody was present »just around the tree«. These sounds would function as a surprise. Almost all surprise in our life come from human beings. Here I want to use simple things (sneeze, whistling) and not some clever intellectual sentences as a source of surprise.
Sounds of cultural environment would be sound from the city or the places we live in. They would have to be characteristic so people would recognize the origin of the sound (sounds of the biggest factory where a lot of people work, the sound of the ring bell in the schools..).These sounds would serve as an impulse that awakes new individual images from our collective past (me in the classroom, me waiting for the father to come home from the job). Such an image then stands in opposition to the sight that park gives.
Nature sounds would be wind, birds singing...They would just emphasize the environment and maybe confuse the visitor (is this bird singing nature or art).
The sounds would be played only when the person reaches certain points, so the CD players would have to be connected with sensors. Also small loudspeakers would be needed. At »audio points« all the sounds would be available. So where one person hears ringing of the school bell at particular tree, the other hears laughter of the woman.
In order to give a labyrinth a certain structure, path I would make 2D fountains, walls, banisters. The fountains would be signs for gathering (as in cities). A hint where to go. Their shape could be quiet unusual or reminding the shapes of some known fountains from Finish cities. The walls and banisters are signs of protection and security, but also something that »destroys« the sight.
Journey to the unknown and Identity in the nature environment recalls the idea of sublime art and romantic »gothic« novels, where the nature is present as a sleeping giant, where the human being with his past experience and future hopes stands as a mystery, as big as an nature that he is staring at. Human being as a labyrinth, as something beautiful and strange, unknown at the same time.
This is true even for the nowadays environment awaken conscious. But here we must admit that the nature can take of her very well. When we are talking about protecting it, we are always talking about us.
I want to make a place for common experience, interesting also for the children, with a rather light atmosphere and humor, with some interesting shapes, where people gather, maybe say something or hear the imaginative flow of water, flow of words, memories or just wind in the trees which erases everything.
©borut korosec 2006
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