EMILY SIMPSON & DESIREE DEKLERK

This labyrinth is here for you to slow down and take a breath. Choose a river stone before crossing the threshold and hold it as you walk the path. Pause in the centre and reflect on whatever is ready to be released from your heart. On your way back out, leave your worries behind by placing your stone somewhere along the painted path. The labyrinth will slowly emerge as each pilgrim lays their burden down.

This installation is a modern example of an ancient archetype, exploring the overlap between art and contemplation.

Designed by Désirée DeKlerk, designer & educator

Curated by Emily Simpson, founder of Sydney Labyrinth (www.sydneylabyrinth.org)

Emily Simpson:

Emily Simpson is an entrepreneur, a poet and a labyrinth maker. In 2009 Emily fell in love with the labyrinth and went on to raise the funds to build Australia’s first sandstone labyrinth in Sydney’s Centennial Park - a replica of the 800 year-old labyrinth from the Chartres Cathedral in France. It was opened in 2014. She lives in Foxground and is currently writing a memoir about her journey with the labyrinth.

Désirée DeKlerk:

Désirée De Klerk has had an award-winning career in design, lectured on all its aspects at a tertiary level for decades, and delights in creating physical and metaphorical labyrinths for her many international clients – among other things. 'The symmetry, order, balance, and beauty of nature have been my guiding lights – as designer and educator, creature and creator. Every step of my journey with and through the Labyrinth, in all her forms, has been a revelation and celebration of the great gift of life.’