The Labyrinth

Athens School Of Fine Arts

Masters Course “Digital Forms of Arts” 2005-2006

Labyrinth is a graphic resolution of a question of rhythm – a line regulation of a geometrically composite plan.

Though, its substantial context lies more on its internal path than on its outer design viewed from above.

The Labyrinth is experienced through ones inner flanerie. It is a space in which the movement experience can be held in the most simple optical Eyre.

The meaning and formation begins from the prehistoric times during which secret rituals occurred. Those spatial expressions related to the ancient ideas of the world thus forming into mystic dances and body sequences.

The Minoan Labyrinth refers to a mythical idea that life realizes in a cyclic manner in relating to a meta physic – non representative point. It forms around a cross [double axes] as symmetrical but non centric – distinguished structure in which every movement is realized in the cyclic space and time of the myth.

During the classical times the Labyrinths center is Socrates’ end point in which everything start from the beginning -nothing but an in-between passing through – the medium for finding the initiating idea.

Roman Labyrinth is a designed correspondence to being and non being [a route – center] thus referring to the former myth whereas Minotaur as the spirit of bad is imprisoned in its center.

It is geometrically structured in sections of even circles or rectangles through which movement is successive towards a distinguished point – “medallion”.

Parallel to its Roman expression, the Medieval Labyrinth attains a religious and symbolic significance resembling a path towards god which relates to beginning and ending of being [life and death].

During Renaissance Labyrinth’s center disappears – becomes outerly rotten – whilst the being itself stands as a moving figure in an even geometrical structure having gained the control of the whole.

Its’ transcendental nature passes through and beyond history of being, thus forming the intermediate locus of finding or departing from point of views.

According to the old meaning of the Labyrinth, the route is specific. What changes is the motion’s orientation rhythm in space. This rhythm is predestined in the Labyrinths own structure.

Any root’s loss or disorientation or even the probability of choosing any route corresponds to the contemporary.

The modern “maze” is not only a system with no specific route channel but also a structure of errantry. Errantry as a movement of randomness in time – a  manoeuvrings of changing routes through the possibility of choice. The wanderer comes towards points of interest which act as pilot to his infinite motion.

In Walter Benjamin’ s thinking everything changes during wandering movement – time –

Notion and memory in such way that the flaneur’s  perception is fragmentary formed during experience. In this way, the Labyrinth is nothing but a complicated disorienting web – a multiple space structure in which someone can detect different pathways during time.

In Kafka’ s ‘Das Gebäude”  is a representation of inner perceptional world in the Labyrinth’s  spatial analogy. Inside these scheme, paths, dead ends, flattened openings, the writer inhabits in continuous motion. Changing positions from space to space, hearing sounds, observing invaders, sensing light or shadow, fixing rotten structures, calming or worrying about the way he inhabits inside he is in an eternal reassigning of purpose.

This project negotiates the meaning of notional Labyrinth. A loop motion takes place inside an abstract spatial analog of the maze. During this movement, perception is altered – related to abstract experience of sound or noise.  Camera moves inside the maze model capturing changes of perspective, light and shadow, open paths or dead ends. Time is continuous accelerated or delayed in relation to the observer’s position in space. Delay occurs when sounds evoke thus disorientating the movement. Sound is applied as an abstraction of sense thus simulating involuntary memory to act upon the past.

the Eternal return

Athens School Of Fine Arts

Masters Course “Digital Forms of Arts”
2005-2006

Nietzsche’ s Idea of the eternal return refers to the wills’  strong ability for strength or existence – a will that can reform itself in the continuous changing of things in an obscure or invisible – infinite time.

Every event of the past will occur eternal again and again in the circled time called history.

In Zarathustra’ s image, the eternal return is the substantial idea of existence as a re-bringing of the same events in his view and perspective. He is aware of the repetition of every phrase and every concept of his life, thus having a fascinating time. In accordance, Albert Camus’  Sysifos experiences the eternal return in a constant positiveness.

19ths an 20ths century literature and philosophy had to criticize the idea of time trying to overcome the historical traditions’ constraints. Goethe refers to the repetition f every wise thought in ones experience through life.

In James Joys’ first [non finalized] sentence in Finnegan's wake “..by a commodious vicious recirculation…” – where events, words and ideas are cycled in an eternal present with no beginning or end.

Mark Twain criticize on history’s’ non repetition but rhyme…whilst Proust’ s writings rotate around moments of the past through a non voluntary memory.

Walter Benjamin refers to the loss of historical time. The 20^th century man seams to detach himself of history and be witness of this detachment in a dramatic way of farewell while attempting to grasp the remains of historical time. The ‘angel of history’ separates from something in which it stares insistently. Its face turns to the past and its ruins. The angel wishes to rebuilt the past but futures’  power pulls it towards a backlash movement.

Accordingly, Henri Bergson’s being is related to a perceptional center of a mattered action in a constantly changing presence. In this consideration of space there is only an eternal continuity of time points. During time’s itinerancy there is no beginning or ending – but an internal continuity in which all return eternally in itself. This is the form in which self relation to the past and present occurs.

Self being is captured in this cycled movement where every change of position in nothing but a repetitive moment in an indefinable time.

Probably fare welling the last consistence on linear historical time but then maybe welcoming through the interval the movement between the loss and ourselves – the possibility of passing through a map of randomly moving points where initial ideas communicate with time and overcome its constraints.

Probably history and non history narrative and non narrative consist of each other. In such supposed parallel position non historical needs historical to confirm itself in every present and vice verse.

[1]

According Deleuse we are thrown in an endless manifoldness of diverse relationships. The seemingly distinctive elements of the world are nothing but reformed relations of different points in time thus continuously returning in between.