CAIRO: The fabled labyrinth was a place constructed of or full of intricate passageways and blind alleys to confuse and challenge those who entered. Artist Nora Bachel offers a new articulation of this form by transforming a factory space in the Townhouse Gallery into a geometrical patterned maze created with mud building bricks.
The Austrian artist is famous for her fascination with geometry. For the past four years she’s been working with circles, squares and triangles using different materials such as sand, glass and a variety of textiles.
This ornament is no different. “I took this room with eight pillars and designed a circle around each one … Then there was the idea with the labyrinth. I did it in a dancing structure to go around and come back in the same way until you get in the center, she explains.
The patterns of the path are a mixture of two styles: the designs of oriental carpets combined with patterns from the gardens of 15th century France.
Only half of the labyrinth is accessible. The structure seems symmetrical as all the circles have the same measurements, but actually only half of it is opened up so you can follow the lines of the maze; in the second half, the circles are closed. This concept is open to interpretation by the perceiver.
Classically, the labyrinth is a symbol of many things, usually a symbol of life, but although Bachel gives symbolism its importance, she thinks that one should look at the ornament as an abstract form before analyzing it, as to her it is a very important art piece, aesthetically.
Bachel works in Vienna and has been exhibiting widely in Austria since 1978. She has had many shows across Europe and had one previous show in Egypt in 2004 at the Espace Karim Francis gallery.
Bachel’s interest in Egypt dates back to her days in school when she studied Egyptian culture. To the artist, Egypt is also intriguing because of its geographical positioning. “Egypt is as well the turning point between the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa, she says.
As an artist, she also feels it is extremely important to be exposed to other cultures and new impressions. Until she came to Egypt, she did not know that the material she used existed; simply being here is a plus.
This show is the fourth of a series entitled: “Ornament in Space, which Bachel has been working on. This is her newest installation, and also the most interactive.
View Bachel’s work at the Townhouse Gallery, 10 Nabrawy St., Downtown, through April 5.
