Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

References to labyrinths and their structures and constructions are part of the imaginary in varied cultures and eras. There are records of mazes in cave paintings, mythologies, art and world heritage monuments. In the last century, authors such as Carroll, Borges, and Echo wove relations between labyrinths and narrative structure of fiction. Theorists describe network and navigation states and experiences in hypermedia environments, as well as thought structures, based on analogy and study of labyrinths. The symbolic meaning of the labyrinth and its representations is here associated with the symbolic meaning of the graphs found in the arts of the Wayana and Aparai. Many graphs have visual structures and geometries that refer to labyrinths and labyrinth patterns, so we investigate relationships and origin of the graphics. In our study, we identified that these patterns reflect the transmission of the culture and history of that culture. They are based on: mythical narratives that originate labyrinthic spatial and geographical structures and stories transmitted orally; deep observation of nature, fauna and flora in an animistic perspective (supernatural beings and other beings); transfer of patterns, including patterns found in jaguar skins, snakes and lizards, among other animals; variations and creativity of each artisan. Part of the challenge is the generative programming of labyrinths based on the drawings and graphic modules present in the Wayana and Aparai culture. The programming strictly follows the labyrinth typologies described below and the original drawings and graphs of the Parense culture studied, also referenced herein.