Why Laying Labyrinths?

We use this language of 'laying' because it opens up the conversation with the ground, the caretakers (past and present), and the community that gathers to perform this experience together. To lay implies, to be gentle with, to tread lightly; we want to engender this type of gentle, open, and curious conversation in this participatory performance.

Labyrinths are an ancient form that are found all over the world. Different cultures and continents have used these forms for thousands and thousands of years. Archaeologists and historians cannot pinpoint the origin of the classical labyrinth form and many attribute it to spreading worldwide because of the different seed patterns, many classical labyrinths hold.

For more information on Labyrinths check out our Labyrinth History page (coming soon).

It's important for me to share the roots of this work and where it weaves with others because I am inherently curious about the interconnections between ideas, people, and the practice of witnessing the tiniest of relationships that lead to complex webs. I'm interested in how I dance with the chaos and complexity of this world. This Living Performance is my current experiment into that query.

To see the people that have impacted this work directly check out the Our Gratitude page.

At the time, I was researching the Happenings of the 50's and 60's, learning how to draw classical labyrinths from seed patterns, and looking into other environmental, ephemeral, and even graffiti artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, Shona Wilson, and SAMO (Jean Michel Basquiat & Al Diaz's tag collaboration). Through all this research, I was renewing my definitions of the roles of theatre artists and audience members. I was practicing what it felt like to pop up somewhere, collaborate with the earth, and the resources around me. As I was yearning for a deeper connection to the earth, I began to ask myself: how could I offer a deeper connection to audience members in my theatrical work?

I began my own experimentation sharing this work with a dear friend, Hebe (or Sarah).

This is what we are making now: a ritual performance that invites people to enact together the practice of gathering, seeing, and sensing with each other, themselves, and the living earth.

We are deep in the midst of making a performance that is steeped in traditions I (Eva) identify with, in what’s happening in my body, and what I am being called to do. This ritual is steeped in the labyrinth form, in coming back into remembrance and relationship with the Earth, in recognizing how inherently interconnected this whole life is to others that are in this Deep World with us. This performance has layers of improvising, movement, breath work, play, and earth-based practices layered throughout the community performance. It houses metaphors that have held me throughout my life: of transformation and rebirth. And yet, I am aware that different metaphors will inherently arise for different people as they engage with this performance. I can't wait for those moments!

This performance is my offering in this current exchange of life. This performance is our ephemeral, sensorial, ritual offering for now, for this time, for the people that choose to gather.

Here we are!

And as a great and late theatre mentor used to say at the sign off of any email or at the end of every theatre rehearsal.

Off we go!