Toronto+Vancouver City of Labyrinths Project

The Grange Park Labyrinth has been in need of re-repainting for well into two full summers. It’s become one of this project’s most popular and well walked Labyrinths anywhere in the city.

Most of the north-south circuits had become barely visible, making Labyrinth walking almost impossible for all but a few people who already knew the path or could glean a few faded paint drops still in place. No joy.

It’s Thanksgiving Saturday, and I finally found the time and empty work space to make the restoration. Many regular park people are away this long weekend, plus the water main construction crew are also off the clock. They’ve been working all around the labyrinth, ripping up and repouring concrete, but not quite touching the labyrinth itself.

A few quick photograph panoramics for the Before shot, and after that, painting for the next hour…

Previously, the circuits were blue and white.

Blue in deference to the Giant Blue Wall of the Art Gallery of Ontario facing the park.

The white painted circuits were always intended to have squares and rectangles in the colour black, to match the Shoebox building next door up in the sky above the original OCAD Building.

But, I never got around to painting in those few black squares in all my previous repaintings of this labyrinth.

To speed things up this weekend, I made an editorial decision to only paint it in one colour. So for the moment, this is a white only labyrinth. When I next have time, I’ll come back with blue and black and hopefully, finally, paint the Grange Park Labyrinth as I had always intended.

With ALL circuits repainted now, it’s ready for you all to walk.

Enjoy your New Grange Park Labyrinth!

Fire Breathing !

Literally in The Labyrinth !

Whoops !

Skateboarders have told me the Labyrinth’s lines I paint help them with situation awareness when boarding round and round the Wading Pool . . .

Windsor Labyrinth, Sunday July 21 2013

During my 30 Masjids Ontario Ramadan Roadtrip, I chalked out this Labyrinth in Windsor, Ontario.

Do Minotaurs wear Weird Hazmat Suits . . .

?

Fire!

Poi!

“Toronto councillors should approve new island park hedge maze”

Editorial – Toronto Star

Thursday June 20 2013

“There’s no reason for city councillors to hedge their bets in considering a new shrubbery maze proposed for Toronto Island Park.

It won’t cost the city anything to build thanks to the intervention of William Meany,

An entrepreneur offering to cover the $200,000 cost in exchange for naming rights.

And money to maintain it is already in the 2013 budget.

The new cedar hedge Labyrinth would replace an old one that had baffled kids and adults on Centre Island for almost 50 years before being uprooted in 2012.

That earlier maze of eastern cedars fell victim to lack of sunlight after being literally overshadowed by surrounding trees.

It was deemed not worth maintaining.

In light of Meany’s amazing generosity,

The city’s parks committee on Monday should not hesitate to support a new Labyrinth.

It would be puzzling,

Indeed,

If councillors failed to find their way to that obvious solution.”

There’s a Day Care inside University Settlement House immediately east of my Labyrinth.

Children from the Day Care often play and enjoy the Labyrinth I painted in Grange Park, Downtown Toronto . . .

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What a Sunday.

A post shared by Candace Forsyth (@xcannedx) on Apr 29, 2013 at 6:27am PDT

In the rain, my Grange Park Labyrinth remains walkable . . .

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Gehry's Toronto / Rainy Blue & Reds

A post shared by Adam Schwabe (@adamschwabe) on Apr 24, 2013 at 6:56pm PDT

Many Religions make use of Labyrinths . . .

“Oops I Wiin” markered upon one of the arcs of the Labyrinth I painted in the Wading Pool in Bellevue Square Park in Kensington Market . . .

They won hunh?

…Sure.

Why not.

Happy Walking!

“Today I walked down to the neighbourhood labyrinth at Christie Pits park. It’s painted on the conical wading pool, and on this day the benches were filled with Chinese elderly (joyously) shouting at each other.

“I have a long relationship with this particular labyrinth, I’ve probably walked it 100 times. I used to walk down to this park and hoop the labyrinth each morning before I started my day. It was a commute for me, forcing me to move, experience the weather, and get dressed like a normal person.

“I love the way that the circular shape of the whole labyrinth is so simple, so predictable, but the path inside is not. Even after walking so many times, I can’t predict the path. Or more exactly, when I started the practice I decided to not worry about where the next bend would lead, to not worry about memorizing the path so I could do it more efficiently, but to just do it, to enjoy, and to be lost for as long as possible.

“The Christie Pits labyrinths are made by the same artist who makes most of them in the city – HiMY. I love finding them as I walk around Toronto, they encourage taking a few minutes to wander in a small space, to be present, and to be curious.

“I have a few rules that I set for myself – take a breath at the start and set an intention. At the centre I take another moment to reflect before I turn around and retrace the path. I take a conscious breath and moment of thanks at the end. No crossing the lines, and no talking. The last one was made so that I would focus on the practice, cause especially when a hoop is involved, people are curious about why I’m dancing on this concrete circle and will ask me questions.

“Sometimes I feel like a slave to lines painted on the ground, but it’s those days that I most need the wandering.

“Sometimes, like this morning, I see another walker start the labyrinth, but quit before they reach the center. They often seem frustrated at how long it’s taking, or confused that it’s not a maze – there’s no choices to make and the only way to control how quickly you get to the centre is to change your speed. I like not having to make any decisions.

“A few years ago, Mo and I made a video of hooping in a labyrinth. Mo started in the middle and I started on the outside, and we wandered through as a cyclist learned to ride backwards….”

Re-Blogged from Sadie‘s blog, Circle Nerd.