Pilgrimage
Workhouse Exhibition
The Hive Manchester UK 2010
The origins of the labyrinth are the subject of numerous scholarly interpretations, with evidence suggesting its presence in ancient Mediterranean cultures, most notably in ancient Greece, and possibly earlier prehistoric contexts. While the classical myth of the Cretan labyrinth remains its most enduring narrative association, the form was subsequently reinterpreted and recontextualised across different historical periods. The installation under discussion, however, draws not upon its mythological genealogy but upon its probable function within medieval Europe.
Workhouse Exhibition
The Hive Manchester UK 2010
The origins of the labyrinth are the subject of numerous scholarly interpretations, with evidence suggesting its presence in ancient Mediterranean cultures, most notably in ancient Greece, and possibly earlier prehistoric contexts. While the classical myth of the Cretan labyrinth remains its most enduring narrative association, the form was subsequently reinterpreted and recontextualised across different historical periods. The installation under discussion, however, draws not upon its mythological genealogy but upon its probable function within medieval Europe.
It has been widely proposed that medieval labyrinths, particularly those embedded in cathedral floors or constructed as turf mazes, served as symbolic substitutes for pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In an era when travel to the Holy Land was often perilous or inaccessible, the act of walking the labyrinth provided a contemplative and devotional alternative: a spiritual journey enacted within a more conducive environment.
This project also emerged into an ongoing engagement with floor-based installations within my practice, beginning with Floorplan, realised in Helsinki in early 2010. These works treat the ground plane not merely as a support surface but as a primary site of inscription and movement. Upon visiting the exhibition space at The Hive, I encountered an interior that was, in most respects, entirely vacant, a condition that offered the rare opportunity of a truly unmediated spatial field.
This project also emerged into an ongoing engagement with floor-based installations within my practice, beginning with Floorplan, realised in Helsinki in early 2010. These works treat the ground plane not merely as a support surface but as a primary site of inscription and movement. Upon visiting the exhibition space at The Hive, I encountered an interior that was, in most respects, entirely vacant, a condition that offered the rare opportunity of a truly unmediated spatial field.
The only interruption to this apparent emptiness was a series of hazard-tape markings delineating thresholds, steps, and other functional transitions within the floor. These provisional lines, combined with the exhibition’s thematic framework and my prior investigations into architectural drawing translated into space, prompted the conceptual shift from Floorplan to Pilgrimage. The taped outlines suggested pathways and boundaries, while the notion of labour and endurance implicit in the exhibition theme resonated with the physical and symbolic act of traversing a labyrinth.
Ultimately, Pilgrimage synthesised historical reference, spatial observation, and prior methodological concerns. By invoking the medieval labyrinth as a surrogate pilgrimage, the work reframed the act of walking as both physical exertion and contemplative practice. Situated within an ostensibly empty gallery, the floor became a site of orientation, disorientation, and reflection, inviting participants to enact their own measured journey through space.
Ultimately, Pilgrimage synthesised historical reference, spatial observation, and prior methodological concerns. By invoking the medieval labyrinth as a surrogate pilgrimage, the work reframed the act of walking as both physical exertion and contemplative practice. Situated within an ostensibly empty gallery, the floor became a site of orientation, disorientation, and reflection, inviting participants to enact their own measured journey through space.