Toronto+Vancouver City of Labyrinths Project

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This is the Wading Pool Labyrinth I painted, choosing blue for the circuits.

You can enjoy walking in Riverdale Park West, just steps away from the animals in front of the Riverdale Farm / Zoo.

My most recent Labyrinth is now completed and ready for play, exploration, meditation, and fun!

This time, it’s a new multi-colour Labyrinth painted on the surface of the wading pool in Fairmount Park in Toronto’s East End.

This location fills a gap in my Project‘s aspiration to placemake one Labyrinth in each of Toronto’s 221+ self-identifying neighbourhoods.

Enjoy your NEW Labyrinth Toronto !

Children never walk a Labyrinth,
Children always run !

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Grange Park Labyrinth, an important part of Downtown Toronto’s Grange Park !

The Sir Casimir Gzowski Park wading pool was my second labyrinth stop on this Thanksgiving Sunday 2011.

Having biked from Howard Junior Public School after experiencing their Species of The Humber Watershed playground labyrinth, I was en route to Butterfly Park just west of the Humber River. The original intention for the day was to create a giant Butterfly shaped labyrinth design. It has been on my mind for the past two summers, and today I finally made the time.

Watching a mother and son walk my wading pool labyrinth brought a smile to my face. Looking over to children climbing the nearby playground equipment, my eyes were drawn to the empty spot on the beach immediately south of the boardwalk.

As often happens in my labyrinth building, serendipity takes over and something else, somewhere else gets built first.

Only a moment was needed to decide to abandon plans for the Butterfly Labyrinth. Maybe it will get done next summer? Or the summer after that?

…I began measuring, then outlining circles in the sand… More Photos

This was Second Last Pedestrian Sunday of the year and the last one before Election Day.

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“…In celebration of Afrofest‘s 18th year at Queen’s Park, Toronto-based Giant Outstallation Artist HiMY SYeD will be creating a giant sized walking labyrinth in the outline of the African Continent.

‘The AfroFest Labyrinth’ is part of HiMY’s ongoing Giant Outstallation Art project – ‘Toronto – City of Labyrinths‘. Intended to create safe walking spaces for both play and contemplation.

These labyrinths are located within (pun intended) walking distance of all Torontonians and at Toronto’s festivals, special events and street parties.”

… okay, so we didn’t finish making the labyrinth in the big backyard earlier this evening … manana, manana …

This is the Big Backyard to my grandparents’ place in Fremont, California.

One of those suburban nightmares where everything is manicured and nothing out of the norm ever seems to appear.

Eyeing the boredom of the complex’s kids and the great green grass canvas since my visit began here, I finally broke down today and installed, or rather tried to install, a labyrinth.

The only materials I could readily use were simple 8.5 by 11 sheets of paper and everyday toothpicks to pin the sheets into the grass.

Harder than it looks or sounds, the grass being deep, the ground moist, my fingers and thumbs aching, the children impatient.

The kids kept asking if the labyrinth was ready all afternoon. They even helped now and then, but their tiny fingers failed them after at best a sheet or two.

Imagine kids in the backseat of your car on a long trip repeating, ‘Are we there yet?’ and your ears may get a feel for what echoed in Fremont all afternoon.

Finally, I just gave in and let them play.

No one seemed to care the paper labyrinth wasn’t done yet.

It was enjoyed as is — unfinished.