Southern Tier's Community Labyrinth Project

Aspire's iXpress RIVERWALK COMMUNITY LABYRINTH EXPERIENCE CONTINUES IN THE SOUTHERN TIER!

Labyrinths represent "wholeness," and can be different shapes and sizes. Comprised of a designed space and a path, a labyrinth invites us to enter, progress to the center, and then back out again - with opportunities to enjoy all that there is to experience along the way. With origins in ancient Greek culture, labyrinths have been created by many different cultures for many centuries. Today, labyrinths are found in parks, gardens churches and other places where experiences of peace and enjoyment are desired. In addition, the natural elements and features of the Chadakoin River area, where The Riverwalk Community Labyrinth is located, offer visitors the sights, sounds and solitude of nature.

Aspire's iXpress artists in the Southern Tier continue their summer long "labyrinth experience"

Activities have included: (1) making individual finger labyrinths, (2) creating and using a temporary 40-foot-diameter labyrinth in Mall Boulevard's Day Hab parking lot; and (3) observing and identifying the wildflowers and grasses ocurring in this natural area, and doing drawings and nature journaling from all that we're finding.

The development of the 90-foot-diameter Riverwalk Community Labyrinth continues, located along the Chadakion River on Jones and Gifford Avenue, Jamestown. The labyrinth paths are being mowed regularly and the plants tended by individuals of The Resource Center.

Meanwhile, the artists at Aspire's Lakewood Day Hab and The Resource Center are creating the components for "Serpentine Field," the labyrinth's proposed centerpiece sculpture. Funds for the sculpture were awarded by NYS Council on the Arts and administered by Cattaraugus County Arts Council, based upon a grant application developed by Aspire's iXpress staff. Funding for the sculpture was the impetus for the Riverwalk Community Labyrinth becoming a reality.

"Serpentine Field" will be a mixed media sculpture, a mosaic of hundreds of individually-created ceramic tiles and other media. The sculpture will occupy a space approximately 8 feet square and 2 feet high, in the labyrinth's 25-foot-diameter center. Inspiration for the sculpture arises from the natural features of the Chadakoin River area where the sculpture and labyrinth are to be located: grasses, flowers, and leaves: footprints of animals; insects; fossils; and the many textures of stones, bard and other elements present at the site. Aspire's iXpress artists are enjoying the many clay art processes being employed in creating the varied tile imagery: stamping, carving, and creating textures with various techniques and tools.

The clays being utilized were selected based on their visual, textural and weather-proof qualities. Tiles will be fired once and remain unglazed, resulting in a natural appearance.

When completed this fall, The Riverwalk Community Labyrinth's "Serpentine Field" will offer and experience reminiscent of the sights, sounds, textures, and aromas of the area's water, field, trees and weather, and all that is to be discovered there. The sculpture offers opportunities, too, to contemplate the relationships among places, people, our constructed envirnoments and the natural world.

Watch for more updates on The Riverwalk Community Labyrinth!

Southern Tier's Community Labyrinth Project

1. General Introductory Info

As a part of the Southern Tier iXpress program's "Community Labyrinth Project" and an extension of our explorations of labyrinths, Aspire's Mall Boulevard artists helped create a temporary labyrinth, 40" in diameter, in the Lakewood parking lot. And then, for the rest of the day, we all walked (and otherwise moved through...) the labyrinth, joined by staff, visitors-and even an intrigued passerby!

Mall Boulevard's parking lot labyrinth was created for the purpose of offering an on-site opportunity in creating and enjoying a labyrinth, and served to augment our individuals' involvement with "The Community Labyrinth Project", currently under development on Jones and Gifford Avenue in Jamestown. In addition to developing the 90' Community Labyrinth, individuals at Aspire and The Resource Center are busy creating clay tiles that will be assembled this fall into The Community Labyrinth's "Centerpiece Sculpture."

The parking lot labyrinth experience at Mall Boulevard helped us come up with an answer to the question, "what is a labyrinth?"

A labyrinth is, simply, a path that invites us into a created space, leads us to the center, and then back out again. Labyrinths of all shapes and sizes have been created by many different cultures for many centuries, for the purposes of meditation, exercise and enjoyment.

Following a labyrinth path is quieting and calming - and fun, too!

2. Here are the steps that we followed to create the Mall Boulevard parking lot labyrinth:

To begin creating the parking lot labyrint, we marked a center point. Then one individual stood on the center point, holding the end of a rope marked with knots at the 5' points.

Another individual ("the measurer") picked up the rope at the first 5' knot, held the rope taut, and moved slowly around the center point. A third individual ("the marker") followed closely behind the measurer, chalking the line until the starting point was reached, completing the innermost circle.

Then the measurer moved further away from the center, taking hold of the rope at the 10' knot. A larger circle was measured and marked this time, outside the first circle. As that circle was completed the process continued, moving further out from the center at 5' increments, measuring and marking a series of concentric 5' circles until the desired diameter for the labyrinth was reached. Then the openings were marked to allow for a continuous path from the outside of the labyrinth to the center and back out again. Finally, the "trial runners" took on the challenge...will our planning and measuring and marking lead us to the center?

Success!

It works for "all walks" and everyone!