The Bucolic Labyrinth
Temporary Public Art Project
City Hall's King Plaza, Palo Alto
Repurposed synthetic turf from local soccer field
28' x 35'
Inspired by the Bucolic genre, this site-specific interactive public art installation offers a playful urban meditative environment that serves to unveil the rituals of everyday life. During the challenging time of isolation, The Bucolic Labyrinth evokes a connection with nature and invites visitors to slow down, meditate, and explore a path of reflection, transformation, and healing.
Displayed in the hard-space of King Plaza in downtown Palo Alto, the temporary installation uses mass-produced artificial grass recycled from a local soccer field to question the uses of synthetic grass as a substitute for real and sustainable local grasses, highlighting the powerful capacity of art making to transform discarded banal waste into a spiritual eco-friendly creation.
The formal procedures performed before, during, and after sporting events resemble those performed for religious purposes. This project playfully shows the connection between sports, sacred space, and ritual practice and provides a tools for social, political, and spiritual awakening.