ANNOUNCING
JEFFERSON CITY'S FIRST WALKING
LABYRINTH
On Sunday, September 23, 2007 at 12 noon, a sixty foot diameter, eleven circuit sacred walking labyrinth was dedicated to the memory of Bob Dyer. The location is 521 E. State St. - between the Jefferson City Correctional Center (the old prison) and Hamilton Hall Apartments - south of the Union Pacific railroad tracks and the Missouri River.
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Concerning Labyrinth Construction
and Other Crimes....
In mid-July, on a large empty lot immediately east of my building, I began the construction of a sixty-foot diameter, eleven circuit walking labyrinth dedicated to the memory of local folk singer, Bob Dyer. What began as something of an innocent personal statement, soon was met with various levels of official interference in the form of police harassment and even a visit from an official from the State of Missouri. Technically, the land belongs to the State of Missouri and has remained virtually unused for as long as anyone can remember. I had no intention of running the Kafkaesque, bureaucratic maze only to ultimately be told that, for insurance reasons and such and such a numbered ordinance, I would not be able to create my project.
The labyrinth began innocently enough with me spending some wonderful afternoons blissfully tracing large painted circles in the asphalt. I took it as an especially good omen when one of the roustabouts from a traveling carnival in town stopped by to chat. His employer was using a portion of the site to park his trucks. As it turned out Cyril was an expatriate Englishman who immigrated to the US in the early seventies. I asked him where he was from and he said Dorset. I told him that the last time I had visited the British Isles was in the late sixties, shortly before he left. He understood about the labyrinth. He seemed to take a genuine delight in the fact that someone would actually undertake such a sacred project. He seemed genuinely nostalgic for his native land. I discussed the pilgrimage I had made to Stonehenge, my forays into the Cornish countryside and my visit to Tintangel, the legendary site of King Arthur's castle. I had been researching the positioning of my labyrinth in terms of its north/south orientation. I knew that the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth in France was laid out near the entrance and was directed toward the altar. What I could not remember for sure was whether the European Cathedrals were all oriented toward the north. Cyril confirmed for me that this was the case. I had already laid out the labyrinth on a north-south axis. I took this meeting and this special piece of information as a particularly auspicious omen. The next day, as they were packing up, one of the Mexicans working the carnival came over and asked me what I was doing. When I told him I was building a sacred labyrinth, he became really interested and seemed full of questions. His boss called him back to the trucks as they were getting ready to leave. I took these two meetings as possessing a special blessing.
Actually, I was able to finish a surprising number of maze circuits before I was paid my first visit by Jefferson City's finest. They stopped to investigate and unfortunately did not share the wonder and enthusiasm of my previous visitors. I am not sure if they got the idea at all. Of course as police officers it was their sworn duty to prohibit what they could not understand. They told me that I would have to stop.
That evening, I was really depressed at the prospect of abandoning the project that seemed to have begun with such promise. Then I realized that, in a strange way, the visit by the peace officers was also a kind of sign. This was no longer an optional undertaking. I was now under a special obligation to see it through to its conclusion. The construction now had become a work, not only of sacred art, but also a piece of guerrilla theatre. This proved to be an irresistible combination for me and I instantly resolved to complete the project in spite the danger of a fine or incarceration.
Of course my work now took on some rather daunting dimensions. I had to figure out ways to work undetected by the vigilant eyes of the law. During the day a large portion of the site was partially blocked by cars parked near the street. I figured that I could work in a somewhat protected environment as long as I kept a sharp eye out for the occasional passing squad car. I figured I could see the police before they spotted me. All I had to do was immediately stop my painting and pretend to be a pedestrian crossing the lot. Unfortunately, I gave little heed to passing civilian vehicles. One of these turned out to be owned by a man who claimed to be a State of Missouri Department of Corrections official. He pulled up and inquired as to what I was doing. I gave him a detailed explanation and he actually seemed to understand what it was all about. He took my card and we parted amicably. A day later, he rang me up and said that the rules and regulations prohibited me from continuing my work. He actually seemed sort of apologetic until I asked him if it might be possible to talk to some one higher up in order to attempt to get special permission to undertake my labyrinth as a public art project. At this point he became quite incensed and, after telling me that he had no interest in talking to me further, hung up on me.
Undiscouraged, I now realized that I would have to complete my project under cover of darkness. I developed a template to guide my painting of the largest of the remaining three circles, dressed myself in my best Ninja black clothes and with a special kind of head-mounted flashlight with an infrared filter, set out the following evening. Fortunately the moon was in its early waxing phase so I did not have to worry about being detected by moon light. I was now forced to paint the circles close to the ground literally inches at a time on my hands and knees.
The last, largest three circles took a lot of time to complete this way. I was nearly able to finish my circles by the time the moon was full. I was discovered by a passing squad car when I was literally finishing the last ten feet of the last circle. Fortunately the cop failed to notice my paint can and the hurriedly disguised work light and bought my improbable story about my being out moon gazing. I was able to apply the finishing touches in daylight using a spray can over the following week. I did the touch-ups in short trips in the morning before nine and after work in the evenings.
Some may distain this whole exercise as the result of a rather juvenile fantasy. In my more left-brain moments I might even be inclined to agree. This project has allowed me to develop some disciplines that I might not have otherwise had the inclination or the opportunity to acquire. Before I was harassed by the authorities and had to go underground, I found my work deeply joyful and a meditation in itself. Someone gave me a "Buddha Machine" that I used to generate a chanting sound that I listened to as I worked. After I was forced to continue stealthily, I was determined not to lose the calm and the spiritual connection that I had begun the project with. I found it a challenge to maintain this Zen demeanor and still be in a constant look out for my nemeses. At first I found it difficult to integrate these two conflicting moods. Through practice I was successfully able to integrate my meditative concentration with a marital arts kind of vigilance and quick reflexes.
I want to especially thank the Jefferson City Police Dept.and that official from the State of Missouri Department of Corrections for helping me to make this transition and finally merging my political activism with my spirituality and my art. I couldn't have done it without you.
Never forget:
The most subversive, revolutionary act
is
the creation of a work of art!
The Bob Dyer Memorial Walking Labyrinth is an official Google Landmark Monument site: