Bakerloo Line: Harrow & Wealdstone
I.e., NOT in the least bit magnificent.
I try not to succumb to obsessive collecting. I actually don’t need complete matching sets of book series (so what if two of five volumes are paperback?) or any musician’s entire CD/LP/45 output. But today I learned about a permanent installation in the London Underground, and I could feel the obsessive bug nibbling at my fingers.
The installation is Mark Wallinger’s Labyrinth (2013), 270 different labyrinths, one in each of the 270 Tube stations. I’d already noticed a couple here and there during my travels these past 3 weeks, and I’m fascinated by labyrinths, so …
Bakerloo Line: Wembley Central
Question: How many could I collect with my camera before boredom or hunger or exhaustion set in?
Answer: 14.
That’s not very many, just a bit over 5% of the total, but it took 3 hours. Each photo requires exiting the train, finding the labyrinth (which occasionally requires exiting the station — not fair, Wallinger!), taking a photo or two, and then waiting for the next train. Yawn.
Tomorrow I’ll bring a book.
Lizzie Ross 
Obsession is a good word, Lizzie, because if they’re all based on classic unicursal mazes, as these two are, then they’re symbolic of a city like Troy — which was besieged of course, and the Latin for siege is … obsessio.
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Thanks, Calmgrove. I like the connection between obsession and siege — for an obsession sometimes makes me feel as though I’m under siege. The Labyrinth Society has a detailed list of Labyrinth designs (http://labyrinthsociety.org/labyrinth-types), which can be used to classify all of Wallinger’s labyrinths (viewable at https://art.tfl.gov.uk/labyrinth/.
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Thanks for the link, Lizzie–I”d not looked at this site for a long time, lots of good stuff here to explore. And the Transport for London link will be next!
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Be careful! Each site is a black hole of time!
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