Mazes

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Consistent throughout these various concepts of maze is a sense of providing a structure (whether navigable with body, pen, or joystick) to organize or constrain a person's encounter with a space (whether by setting them on a track, offering them a puzzle, or merely deciding pathways and dead-ends).
Consistent throughout these various concepts of maze is a sense of providing a structure (whether navigable with body, pen, or joystick) to organize or constrain a person's encounter with a space (whether by setting them on a track, offering them a puzzle, or merely deciding pathways and dead-ends).
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The second part of the chapter explores the degree to which the program generates mazes and how permutations in the code can affect that status. How does, for instance, changing the thickness of the lines affect a viewer's perception of the maze? How does the single-line of code present itself as a maze for the novice programmer encountering this code in the beginner section of a manual?
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The second part of the chapter explores the degree to which the program generates mazes and how permutations in the code can affect that status. How does, for instance, changing the thickness of the lines affect a viewer's perception of the maze? How does the single-line of code present itself as a maze for the novice programmer encountering this code in the beginner section of a manual? The last considers the kinds of mazes produced by the program.
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The last considers the kinds of mazes produced by the program.
 
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Mazes and Labyrinths, however, are not associated only with their physical structures or two-dimensional forms; They can also be patterns of physical movements. In other words, pathways. Dance executions of mazes have been and continue to be performed as areas, such as Italy, Corfu, Munich, Upper Bavaria. There is the Geranos (Crane) dance performed by Theseus performed on Delos.
Mazes and Labyrinths, however, are not associated only with their physical structures or two-dimensional forms; They can also be patterns of physical movements. In other words, pathways. Dance executions of mazes have been and continue to be performed as areas, such as Italy, Corfu, Munich, Upper Bavaria. There is the Geranos (Crane) dance performed by Theseus performed on Delos.
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Another commemorates the killing of Hainuwele (divine maiden) on one of the Molucca Islands.
Another commemorates the killing of Hainuwele (divine maiden) on one of the Molucca Islands.
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===Mazes in Religion===
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In Christendom, mazes begin to appear on the floors of cathedrals and basilicas, which themselves are already highly symbolic spaces.
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Mazes also have a tendency to turn up in Christian houses of worship, specifically in Italy and France. The earliest labyrinth shows up in the Basilica of Saint Reparata (Algiers) in 324 CE and they continue to be included through today.
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These mazes tended to be labyrinths, meant to be walked or crawled on the path to penance. They did not contain dead ends or choice points, until the 15th century, when the aberration appeared as Helmut Birkhan explains, as a "symptom of the secularization of the labyrinth idea" (quoted in Kern 146). The entrances of these labyrinths tended to face the western wall of the church on which scenes of The Last Judgment would be depicted. Thus, these walkable pathways become linked with the idea of the path to Christian salvation.
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These mazes went by several names: Labyrinth of Sin, The Path to Redemption, Easter Dance, Images of a Worldview, The Path to Jerusalem, Maison Dedalus.
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Arguably the most famous and largest (approx. 12.3 m) church labyrinth appears in Chartres, and its dimensions have a curious relationship to its symbology. (Kern 153)
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Note: Maze as path to be followed as haptic prayer ritual, as allegorical path.
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===Mazes of Grass, Hedge, and Stone===
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Shakespeare's the Temptest:
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"This is as strange a maze as e'er men trod" (3.3.1)
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Midsummer Night's Dream:
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<blockquote>The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud,<br/>
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And the quaint mazes in the wanton green<br/>
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For lack of tread are undistinguishable. (2.1.98-100)</blockquote>
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People seem to have not end for the materials they will use to build a maze. The history of mazes is lined with hedges, marked by rocks, and surrounded by grooves. The various outdoor mazes and labyrinths appear in distinct patterns across Europe. Often Turf Mazes have been found in England, Germany, and purportedly, Sumatra (Kern 167). On the other hand, their stone sisters, Troy towns, show up in Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Arctic Russia. The Hedgerow mazes do not appear till the 16th century but also appear across Europe.
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After the Minotaur, mazes arise not as traps and tangled torture chambers, but as spaces for rituals and passtimes. One could say that a maze is space that has been reorganized across time. As soon as the first wall arises or the first groove cut, the cooridor becomes a path, the space becomes narrated.
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Called "mizmazes" in the south of England, the oldest of the "Turf mazes" or "turf labyrinths" appeared in England about the beginning of the eighteenth-century and develop into a ever-evolving part of the maze landscape. These mazes also went other the name of "Troy-towns," which some bring to another Ancient movement
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Scholars tangle over whether the turf mazes are modeled after the Church ones or vice versa. In Mazes and Labyrinths of the World, Janet Bord writes, "there is reason to believe that there were mazes in stone and turf long before the mediaeval church builders began incorporating them in their designs" (13). Among other pieces of evidence, she mentions the mazes near ancient sites: St. Catherine's Hill, Winchester, Breamore maze near Celtic fields and the maze at Wing in Rutland (13). On the other hand, Kern points to the striking similiarities between the turf mazes and the church pattern, particularly that of Chartres.
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Kern traces their history: "It is likely that strains of various traditions converged in turf labyrinths. The original pagan constructions were probably linked to Scandinavian Troy towns and spring rites. Beginning in the 13th century, the design was subjected to a Christian interpretation and installed in churches. During the Reformation, the earlier pagan meanings surfaced once again, soon thereafter to be channeled into harmless popular festivals, and eventually lost." (168)
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These turf mazes find stone parallels in Troy towns, "labyrinthine stone patterns arranged on open fields, many of which are found in Sweden, Finland, Artic Russia, and Germany" (Kern 167).
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In spite of their connections to church mazes, the "turf maze" has much stronger pagan roots, likely parts of Spring rites.
 +
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The taller cousins of the turf mazes are the hedge-row mazes. One famous example included Louis XIV's hedge maze featured 39 fountains and "cost the equivalent of more than three million dollars to build" (Pickover 16). Another mythical example was the Bower of "Fair Rosamond," which reportedly hid the mistress of King Henry II (A.D. 1133-1189). The maze in this case hid not a terrible beast but instead protected an illicit paramour. However, by one account, discovered by the queen, she was forced to choose between the bowl of poison and a dagger. She met her fate at the bottom of the bowl (Miller 164).
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One of the most well-known mazes grew in Hampton Court Palace in London attributed to Sir Christopher Wren that may date back to the time of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, its first occupant (Kern 261). Presenting roughly half a mile of path, the maze has been the subject of literature. Miller writes of it: "It may be a a sad sight to the 'highbrows' of horticulture, but to the unsophisticated many it is a never-failing source of merriment" (129). He describes the maze as an "undiluted delight" to "scores of hundred of children, not to mention a fair sprinkling of their elders" (129).
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One of the traditional uses of these mazes was one of public amusement.
 +
Treading of The Shepherd's Ring or "Sheperhd's Race" at Boughton Green, in Northamptnshire, "Was a popular event in the three-day fair held every June" (49).
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Larger notions:
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Physical maze for use for public diversion, entertainment
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* "Running" a maze -- future links to video games
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Hedge and Turf mazes share one feature with 10 Print, they emerge. They must be tended, cared for, rather than merely plotted and built. 10 Print is a maze that continues to grow overtime according to the conditions of its roots.
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===Mazes in Dance===
===Mazes in Dance===
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This line of code captures other choreographic concerns. As a loop, it denotes choreographic repetition; its “loopiness,” like its bi-pedal characteristic, emerges in the work of many choreographers. The work of Pina Bausch, for example, amply demonstrates the innocence and tameness of a simple motion or step, as against the power and the violence that same motion acquires when repeated and repeated and repeated in numbers that acquire momentum before one’s very eyes. The effects in Bausch’s work, captured first visually, spill over into the audience’s full-bodied experience of physical pain and sensory re-adjustment. 10PRINT uses only two “steps” to mesmerize the viewer. The incessant hopping around on two feet that 10PRINT choreographs would not but affect audiences similarly. Repetition, in Bausch’s work, typically starts as sort of boringly mesmerizing but may be experienced, in the end, painfully boring, assaulting, and even traumatizing. Quite a bit can be learned here, not least how the human body in motion affords audiences new imaginaries and the intertwining of old histories with new and novel creative futures.
This line of code captures other choreographic concerns. As a loop, it denotes choreographic repetition; its “loopiness,” like its bi-pedal characteristic, emerges in the work of many choreographers. The work of Pina Bausch, for example, amply demonstrates the innocence and tameness of a simple motion or step, as against the power and the violence that same motion acquires when repeated and repeated and repeated in numbers that acquire momentum before one’s very eyes. The effects in Bausch’s work, captured first visually, spill over into the audience’s full-bodied experience of physical pain and sensory re-adjustment. 10PRINT uses only two “steps” to mesmerize the viewer. The incessant hopping around on two feet that 10PRINT choreographs would not but affect audiences similarly. Repetition, in Bausch’s work, typically starts as sort of boringly mesmerizing but may be experienced, in the end, painfully boring, assaulting, and even traumatizing. Quite a bit can be learned here, not least how the human body in motion affords audiences new imaginaries and the intertwining of old histories with new and novel creative futures.
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The 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 line encodes a loop that the kernel and computer iterate and re-iterate as motion-on-the-screen. The on-going cascade is linearly printed, acknowledging the movement-in-time effect that all dances also perform. Because 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 defines a repetitive loop, read as choreography it can be translated to last the length of a full stage-performance. As choreographers, we might further pause to reflect on the pseudo-random output of the 10PRINT line. The pseudo-randomness of the code affords an aesthetic magic and surprise that similarly enhances the audience member’s experience of its choreographic output.
The 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 line encodes a loop that the kernel and computer iterate and re-iterate as motion-on-the-screen. The on-going cascade is linearly printed, acknowledging the movement-in-time effect that all dances also perform. Because 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 defines a repetitive loop, read as choreography it can be translated to last the length of a full stage-performance. As choreographers, we might further pause to reflect on the pseudo-random output of the 10PRINT line. The pseudo-randomness of the code affords an aesthetic magic and surprise that similarly enhances the audience member’s experience of its choreographic output.
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The computer interprets the 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 line of BASIC and dancer(s) will perform the choreography it offers them. Once rendered or performed, both the code or choreography and their respective performances are game for critics to assess their value, their quality, and their failures. Much as 10PRINT’s screen output is a visual image we choose to see as a maze, a labyrinth, a woven fabric, or whatever else, we can choose to read 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 as choreography and decide what it reveals to us artistically, aesthetically, physically, and philosophically.
The computer interprets the 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 line of BASIC and dancer(s) will perform the choreography it offers them. Once rendered or performed, both the code or choreography and their respective performances are game for critics to assess their value, their quality, and their failures. Much as 10PRINT’s screen output is a visual image we choose to see as a maze, a labyrinth, a woven fabric, or whatever else, we can choose to read 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 as choreography and decide what it reveals to us artistically, aesthetically, physically, and philosophically.
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===Mazes in Religion===
 
−
 
−
Mazes also have a tendency to turn up in Christian houses of worship, specifically in Italy and France. The earliest labyrinth shows up in the Basilica of Saint Reparata (Algiers) in 324 CE and they continue to be included through today.
 
−
 
−
These mazes tended to be labyrinths, meant to be walked or crawled on the path to penance. They did not contain dead ends or choice points, until the 15th century, when the aberration appeared as Helmut Birkhan explains, as a "symptom of the secularization of the labyrinth idea" (quoted in Kern 146). The entrances of these labyrinths tended to face the western wall of the church on which scenes of The Last Judgment would be depicted. Thus, these walkable pathways become linked with the idea of the path to Christian salvation.
 
−
 
−
These mazes went by several names: Labyrinth of Sin, The Path to Redemption, Easter Dance, Images of a Worldview, The Path to Jerusalem, Maison Dedalus.
 
−
 
−
Arguably the most famous and largest (approx. 12.3 m) church labyrinth appears in Chartres, and its dimensions have a curious relationship to its symbology. (Kern 153)
 
−
 
−
Note: Maze as path to be followed as haptic prayer ritual, as allegorical path.
 
−
 
−
 
−
 
−
 
−
----
 
−
 
−
===Mazes of Grass, Hedge, and Stone===
 
−
Shakespeare's the Temptest:
 
−
 
−
"This is as strange a maze as e'er men trod" (3.3.1)
 
−
 
−
Midsummer Night's Dream:
 
−
 
−
The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud,
 
−
And the quaint mazes in the wanton green
 
−
For lack of tread are undistinguishable. (2.1.98-100)
 
−
 
−
People seem to have not end for the materials they will use to build a maze. The history of mazes is lined with hedges, marked by rocks, and surrounded by grooves. The various outdoor mazes and labyrinths appear in distinct patterns across Europe. Often Turf Mazes have been found in England, Germany, and purportedly, Sumatra (Kern 167). On the other hand, their stone sisters, Troy towns, show up in Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Arctic Russia. The Hedgerow mazes do not appear till the 16th century but also appear across Europe.
 
−
 
−
Called "mizmazes" in the south of England, the oldest of the "Turf mazes" or "turf labyrinths" appeared in England about the beginning of the eighteenth-century and develop into a ever-evolving part of the maze landscape. These mazes also went other the name of "Troy-towns," which some bring to another Ancient movement
 
−
 
−
Scholars tangle over whether the turf mazes are modeled after the Church ones or vice versa. In Mazes and Labyrinths of the World, Janet Bord writes, "there is reason to believe that there were mazes in stone and turf long before the mediaeval church builders began incorporating them in their designs" (13). Among other pieces of evidence, she mentions the mazes near ancient sites: St. Catherine's Hill, Winchester, Breamore maze near Celtic fields and the maze at Wing in Rutland (13). On the other hand, Kern points to the striking similiarities between the turf mazes and the church pattern, particularly that of Chartres.
 
−
 
−
Kern traces their history: "It is likely that strains of various traditions converged in turf labyrinths. The original pagan constructions were probably linked to Scandinavian Troy towns and spring rites. Beginning in the 13th century, the design was subjected to a Christian interpretation and installed in churches. During the Reformation, the earlier pagan meanings surfaced once again, soon thereafter to be channeled into harmless popular festivals, and eventually lost." (168)
 
−
 
−
These turf mazes find stone parallels in Troy towns, "labyrinthine stone patterns arranged on open fields, many of which are found in Sweden, Finland, Artic Russia, and Germany" (Kern 167).
 
−
 
−
In spite of their connections to church mazes, the "turf maze" has much stronger pagan roots, likely parts of Spring rites.
 
−
 
−
The taller cousins of the turf mazes are the hedge-row mazes. One famous example included Louis XIV's hedge maze featured 39 fountains and "cost the equivalent of more than three million dollars to build" (Pickover 16). Another mythical example was the Bower of "Fair Rosamond," which reportedly hid the mistress of King Henry II (A.D. 1133-1189). The maze in this case hid not a terrible beast but instead protected an illicit paramour. However, by one account, discovered by the queen, she was forced to choose between the bowl of poison and a dagger. She met her fate at the bottom of the bowl (Miller 164).
 
−
 
−
One of the most well-known mazes grew in Hampton Court Palace in London attributed to Sir Christopher Wren that may date back to the time of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, its first occupant (Kern 261). Presenting roughly half a mile of path, the maze has been the subject of literature. Miller writes of it: "It may be a a sad sight to the 'highbrows' of horticulture, but to the unsophisticated many it is a never-failing source of merriment" (129). He describes the maze as an "undiluted delight" to "scores of hundred of children, not to mention a fair sprinkling of their elders" (129).
 
−
 
−
One of the traditional uses of these mazes was one of public amusement.
 
−
Treading of The Shepherd's Ring or "Sheperhd's Race" at Boughton Green, in Northamptnshire, "Was a popular event in the three-day fair held every June" (49).
 
−
 
−
-----
 
−
 
−
Larger notions:
 
−
Physical maze for use for public diversion, entertainment
 
−
* "Running" a maze -- future links to video games
 
−
 
−
 
−
Hedge and Turf mazes share one feature with 10 Print, they emerge. They must be tended, cared for, rather than merely plotted and built. 10 Print is a maze that continues to grow overtime according to the conditions of its roots.
 
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Revision as of 16:39, 11 October 2010

View this revision of Mazes.

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