Pop up Labyrinth

The Grounds team have been asked to collaborate with members across the University to create a pop up Labyrinth on the lawn on outside the Harry Fairhurst building, as part of the University's mental health awareness week.

It was hoped originally to be cut out of the lawn area to create the pattern but unfortunately the grass has not grown as strongly as required so early in the season.  But not to be put off the team programmed our robotic line marker to put down the concentric rings in white pitch marker paint after which we could manually put in the ends and turns.

    

The design for the Labyrinth was provided by Peter Clark who came to campus to over see the process and to add the some of the finishing touches.  

Peter thinks that it maybe the first of it's kind to be created in this way using GPS and Robotic line marking technology!

So what is the meaning of a labyrinth? 

A Labyrinth is sometimes referred to as a maze. Strictly speaking a maze is a puzzle with numerous paths and dead ends and a Labyrinth is a single path leading to central point and then back out again. The idea is that the journey to the centre of the Labyrinth and then back out into the world, clears the mind, promotes relaxation and increases awareness, a practical way to 'unwind the mind'

The Library 'pop up' is a 5 pathway labyrinth, that is large in scale as a result of the “line” between each pathway, being much larger than needed, (because originally we were going to mow the design).

The genesis of the design is the original Shepherds Ring.

Until its destruction early last century it was located in the village of Boughton Green, Northamptonshire, having been built in medieval times on the village green. 

Like many others of that period it was known as a turf maze, despite being unicursal.  The term maze and labyrinth appeared interchangeably and still do. 

The Shepherds Ring had nine pathways of undulating turf so the flat library pop up labyrinth is an adaptation, created for the location.

Labyrinth locally

There is a small ‘turf maze’ near the village of Dalby 10 miles north of York with an interesting  history going back to the 19th C. 

https://www.worldwidewriter.co.uk/city-of-troy-dalby-turf-maze.html