Fingermaze
| Browse information by: Location Makers General Information Classification Object Parts Object Condition History References Photographs |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright for Photograph: Creative Commons |
Location
| Street: | Goldstone Crescent |
| Town: | Hove |
| Parish: | Hove |
| Council: | Brighton & Hove City Council |
| County: | East Sussex |
| Postcode: | BN3 |
| Location on Google Map | |
| Object setting: | Public Park |
| Access is: | Public |
| Location note: | Eastern edge of Hove Park |
| In the AZ book: | East Sussex |
| Page: | 131 |
| Grid reference: | K4 |
| The A-Z books used are A-Z East Sussex and A-Z West Sussex (Editions 1A 2005). Geographers' A-Z Map Company Ltd. Sevenoaks. | |
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Makers
| Name : | Chris Drury |
| Role: | Sculptor |
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General Information
| Commissioned by: | Brighton and Hove City Council for ‘Eco-Brighton’ |
| Construction period: | 2006 |
| Installation date: | 2006 |
| Work is: | Extant |
| Owner custodian: | Brighton & Hove City Council |
| Object listing: | Not listed |
| Description: | A labyrinth-like design based on a fingerprint set into the turf using stone, on a slight incline in the park. |
| Iconographical description: | The labyrinth design used in Hove Park is based on a Cretan or classical labyrinth – an ancient, mystical pattern containing a meandering path to the centre, which is often used to symbolise the journey through life. A labyrinth differs from a maze in the sense that it has only one path to the centre, with no tricks or decisions to take. This is a right brain activity that frees the mind to contemplate. The earliest known design dates back from about 1500 BC. Labyrinths are found in many different cultures throughout history; from ancient fishermen walking a labyrinth to be lucky at sea to courtship rituals and pilgrims in churches. |
| Inscription: | Fingermaze Chris Drury, 2006 Stone & Lime Mortar Giant fingerprint incorporating a Cretan labyrinth Walking the labyrinth is traditionally linked to contemplation and renewal - follow the grass path from the base of the sculpture into the centre and back out again. |
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Classification
| Categories: | Natural |
| Object type1: | Landscape |
| Object type2: | Sculpture |
| Subject type1: | Symbolic |
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Object Parts
| Part 1: | Lanscape drawing / maze |
| Material: | York stone set into lime mortar |
| Width (cm): | 3000 |
| Depth (cm): | 3700 |
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Object Condition
| Overall condition: | Good |
| Risk assessment: | No known risk |
| Condition 1 of type: | Surface |
| Condition 1: | Biological growth |
| More details: | Grass slightly long obscuring design somewhat at time of inspection. |
| Date of on-site inspection: | 19/06/2008 |
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History
| History: | Commissioned by Brighton and Hove City Council the work was in Stanmer Park, and was mown temporarily into the turf. The labyrinth is based on a fingerprint with a Cretan maze pattern inserted into the central whorl. The same maze was made as a permanent piece in York stone set into lime mortar in Hove Park. Commissioned for ‘Eco-Brighton’, part of a two year cultural programme called ‘Making a Difference’ in Brighton & Hove. ‘Making a Difference’ aims to transform the cultural life of the city, make a difference to people’s lives and develop the city’s reputation as an international city of culture. The programme is being overseen by the Brighton & Hove Arts Commission and is ‘managed’ by an executive team at Brighton & Hove City Council. It is funded with lottery money through the Urban Cultural Programme. Chris Drury was selected from many artists who responded to a brief to produce a piece of art in Hove Park based around an environmental issue and to promote more sustainable ways of living. The brief also required that the piece “enhance people’s experience of the city’s green spaces and communicate the contemporary message of environmental awareness.”
The work Drury made in Hove Park, titled ‘Fingermaze’, incorporates the design of a labyrinth into the patterns and whorls found in our fingerprints. These patterns are mirrored in the nerve endings of our fingers, the way in which liquids and blood travel through the body, in the weather system in the sky and patterns in the solar system. Chris refers to these vortex patterns as ‘a universal flow’. It is a recurring theme within his work and is exemplified in another of his works in Lewes, ‘The Heart of Reeds’. On another level, ‘Fingermaze’ refers to how we touch and connect with the world and also alludes to human impact on the natural world. Drury works both in galleries and outside. Often the pieces are temporary, like the mown ‘Fingermaze’ in Stanmer Park, July 2006. Sometimes they are living......and many are permanent, like the piece in Hove Park and ‘Heart of Reeds’ a living reed bed in Lewes (2004-present) The labyrinth design used in Hove Park is based on a Cretan or classical labyrinth – an ancient, mystical pattern containing a meandering path to the centre, which is often used to symbolise the journey through life. A labyrinth differs from a maze in the sense that it has only one path to the centre, with no tricks or decisions to take. This is a right brain activity that frees the mind to contemplate. The earliest known design dates back from about 1500 BC. Labyrinths are found in many different cultures throughout history; from ancient fishermen walking a labyrinth to be lucky at sea to courtship rituals and pilgrims in churches. Chris says: “This is a fingermaze with one path that leads you in a circuitous route into the centre. As such it is a contemplative journey to the interior. The Hopi Indians of Arizona, for whom it plays a part in their creation myth, say it is a symbol of rebirth, an interior womb encircled by the arms of Mother Earth. One can speculate that the female symbol was first derived from this labyrinth. To walk the path in, and then out again is an act of renewal. The work is a two dimensional drawing until it is walked; then it becomes a sculpture.” The materials used in ‘Fingermaze’ are York stone and lime mortar. Lime mortar was chosen because its production uses less energy and leaves less of a carbon footprint than when using cement. Cement production is one of the major contributors to emissions of carbon. Over time the stones will weather and weeds and grass creep into the stones, making the outline more smudged and blurry like real fingerprints. Chris hopes that the piece will become assimilated into the life and landscape of the park and give people something to wonder about. (Schools Resource Pack - http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/downloads/bhcc/sustainability/schools_resource_feb_07.pdf) |
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References
| Source 1 : | |
| Title: | 'Schools Resource Pack To Accompany 'Fingermaze' in Hove Park' |
| Type: | Book |
| Author: | Brighton & Hove City Council |
| Publisher: | Brighton & Hove City Council. |
Further information: | |
| #http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/downloads/bhcc/sustainability/schools_resource_feb_07.pdf# | |
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Photographs
Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons | |
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