Artists to activate 14-Year-Old campus labyrinth in exhibit鈥檚 closing performance
The 91直播视频 Art Gallery in Portland will host an outdoor performance from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 6 on the Portland Campus for Health Sciences to mark the closing of its current photography exhibition. Artists Elana Adler and Patricia Brace will present "Activating the Labyrinth: A Performance for Two People in Three Parts" at the University鈥檚 14-year-old labyrinth, located directly behind the museum.
The artists鈥 walking performances will incorporate elements representing water, air, and earth through the use of ice, leaves, and stones.
The collaborative project emerged from a conversation between Adler and Brace about the paralysis felt during political uncertainty. Their approach draws on the meditative tradition of labyrinths, which feature a single path designed for contemplative walking.
"This summer has unfolded as a series of concentric rings of collaboration and care 鈥 an Arctic Circle residency, a sundial performance with Susan Smith and Bethany Engstrom, forging cyclical sculptures with my dad, blacksmith George Brace, and now a labyrinth performance with Elana Adler," Brace remarked. "The overlaps and distinctions of each collaboration carry synchronicities that feel urgent to share and process."
The performance will conclude with audience participation, as visitors will be invited to walk the labyrinth and place stones at its center to form a collective monument focused on mindfulness and shared purpose.
The event celebrates the closing of "An Unreliable Record: Exploring the Photographic Imaginary," curated by Nelleke Mack, an exhibition that examined themes related to photography's relationship between reality and imagination.
"Activating the Labyrinth will allow community to come together in the unique landscape of the 91直播视频Art Gallery Portland, and experience the changing of seasons from summer to fall along with the magic sensibilities of both the performance and our exhibit 鈥楢n Unreliable Record,鈥 which closes September 7.鈥
The performance is free and open to the public, with refreshments provided. The rain date is Sept. 7. The 91直播视频Art Gallery in Portland is located at 716 Stevens Ave. The labyrinth is located in the woods directly behind it.