Labyrinth
November 2013 | Bull’s Horn, Brass Wire | 27 x 6 cm (10.6” x 2.4”)
Design and Mythology are both media for storytelling that represent general cultural truths and their human meaning. Like design, mythology is a universal language by which to decode human culture; and as in design, myths often employ the augmentation of human power in expressing the super-natural. Indeed, throughout the history of design, humans have attempted the unattainable. From Da Vinci's human-powered aircraft as inspired by the wings of Icarus, to inventions of material self-repair and regeneration dating back to the myth of the Promethean liver, design has consistently dealt with amplifying human powers or compensating for human limitations. It is not surprising then, that mythological 'beings' are often portrayed as personifications of natural forces. Indeed, the myths that tell of these earlier gods fulfilled the role of explaining the existence of nature.
This project is based on the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, and the C.G. Jung interpretation of its meaning: a representation of the journey through the challenging and unpredictable path of life towards personal wholeness and authenticity. An abstracted image of Theseus’ struggle is used to pierce a bull’s horn, representing his triumph over the Minotaur. This act dissolves the boundary between interior and exterior surfaces, a representation of the Minotaur’s labyrinth, through which Ariadne’s golden thread is woven to lead Theseus in his quest.
