Call for Papers

The NASCLS in association with the Nicola Fierst Society invites 250-word proposals for papers and panels for the 2011 meeting of the International Gollesten Circle. The conference will be held May 12-15, 2011 in Kuching, Borneo. Specific Topic Panel: Gollesten and Milosovici: Intersections of Structural Obfuscation in the Natural Labyrinth. Deadline: January 21. Contact via NASCLS web ring.

The Museum Labyrinth

Aksel Gerrit (date unknown)

As Gramont tells us, the structural components that govern the essential nature of the labyrinth have been rigorously codified since, at least, the Interiorists. The work of Aaldi, and of course that of Magarelli, Oriolo and Ungarn, posits rigorous and well-substantiated schemas, elements of which have proved foundational for our current epoch's understanding of what is meant by labyrinth. Indeed, much of contemporary Western labyrinthology has been, in large part, a quest for extrication from the entanglements Gollesten's synthetic totalism. Our recent discussions of the late Kobrin have brought our attention to the school which John and I, as well as others in the field (most notably Philip Cunha, Jacques Oligreff and Wim Cruhs) have begun refer to as Acentrism. Recent findings offer compelling evidence that we should consider the work of the late Kobrin as emblematic of an aesthetic and ideological shift from neo-recursivism, a mode of which his early labyrinths proved archetypal, into this fascinating, even troubling, mode of construction.

In the last few weeks, I've become particularly curious about the extent to which the late Kobrin appears to be influenced by the controversial writings of Aksel Gerrit, prompting me to begin correspondence with the Dutch labyrinthologist Alvilda Jeppesen, translator of the definitive English volume of Gerrit's labyrinthology.

Jeppesen at the Bern Labyrinthological Circle Summit (2006)

Jeppesen, familiar with CORRIDOR's revamp of Kobrin's Basin labyrinth, had yet to hear of my harrowing navigation of the Manuas Cave Labyrinth. Once aware of my experience, as well as Cruemer's reports of the seemingly unnavigable structure of the Basin labyrinth, she immediately made the connection between the late Kobrin's "quasi-nihilistic" tendencies and Gerrit's call for the introduction of a fourth center as a fundamental structural component of the labyrinth. Alvilda has given consent for me to copy some elucidating thoughts from our exchange below:

Alex,

Indeed. The connections between Kobrin's labyrinthecture in the Amazon Basin and Gerrit's labyrinthology are profound. It appears that Kobrin attempted to enact in labyrinthecture Gerrit's purely theoretical notions about sovereignty and preservation. Gerrit was possessed by the idea that the labyrinth should never be navigated or "solved." Having studied in Malaysia with Ah-Pei, seeing the Monsoon Mud Labyrinths firsthand, his labyrinthology was simply engineered in that direction - towards the purposefully unnavigable, the "museum labyrinth" as some have dubbed it. As you've noted, Kobrin appears to have been attempting to realize a labyrinth with a fourth center - that is, a deceptively authentic telos point in which the navigator, thinking he has reached the center, finds himself with four previously unavailable navigational options, none of which allow for successful eggresion.

As Gerrit succinctly put it, "it is in the fourth center that the autonomy and superiority of the labyrinth, divorced from traditional and interiorist notions of form and structure, assert themselves most fully. The navigator has tread on sacred ground, but not on the most sacred of grounds, he is given false hope, he is made to believe the lie of navigation before making his ultimately final 'choice' as a walker." What is most alarming here, as you pointed out, is that, in the case of the late Kobrin, these ideas are enacted, disseminated into the realm of the navigatory.

Jeppesen will give a panel on "Gerrit and The Curved Juncture" at this year's NASCLS in Benesov. Details on the conference will be posted here once finalized.

NASCLS 2009 Updates

I thought some of our readers would be interested to hear the latest news pertaining to this year's annual North American Society for Contemporary Labyrinthology conference, which is being held on the weekend of April 17 in Manitoba. Midway through December, John K. posted descriptions of the panels here. Since that update, some interesting developments have occurred. As some of you may have heard, John and I have been invited to serve on keynote labyrinthian Philip Cunha's panel. I spoke with Philip just this past week, and he informed me that his paper, which is nearing completion, investigates the ways in which Mathieu Gramont's notion of cyclico-ambulatory intuition anticipates and, in many ways, invalidates subversive navigation in the wake of Crete - a particularly interesting move on the part of Cunha as Crete is likely to be in attendance.

Cunha told me that he decided against his previously considered address, which focused upon labyrinthological ethics at large in favor of this "more pointed assessment." As an exteriorist Gramontian, I, for one, couldn't be happier with both Philip's choice of subject and the veritable renaissance which the French Recursivists seem to be experiencing within the realm of contemporary labyrinthology. For those of you not subscribed to the NASCLS newsletter (which you can subscribe to by sending an email with the subject "add to list" to Stephen Holdern at manitobalabconf_09@yahoo.com) a tentative schedule has been posted, to wit:

Friday, April 17

1-2 pm
Meet at Hudson Bay Overlook in downtown Churchill for hors d'œuvres.
3pm
Check in to Manitoba Marriott (or adjourn to other arranged places of lodging)
5-7 pm
Dinner and Awards (featuring the presentation of the Mezin Kobrin Award for Innovation in Labyrinthecture, the Phillip Ambrose Walker Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Field of Labyrinthology, and the Percival Crosley Award for Outstanding Ecolabyrinthological Accomplishment).
7:30 pm(in Marriott Conference Hall)
Introduction of Panels and Panelists by Jacques Oligreff
7:45-9 pm
TBA Philip Cunha Keynote Address and Discussion
9 -10 pm
Stanlislav Barta "The Indestructable Ontos" and Discussion

Saturday, April 18

The day is open, so to speak, and those who have never been to Manitoba are encouraged to experience it. That being said, there will be a group navigation of the Lake Winnipegosis Labyrinth (an estimated 3 hour navigation) which begins congression at 2pm sharp. Those who wish to sign up should contact Stephen Holdern before the event or sign up in the lobby of the Marriott.

5-7 pm
Dinner and Cocktails
7:30 -8:30 pm
Alan Berkhardt "Kafka's Corridors" and Discussion
8:30 - 9:30 pm
Bernhard Smallencroft "Subverting SN: Reclaiming the Sanctity of Navigation" and Discussion
9:30 - 11 pm
Open Discussion and Wine

This is, of course, subject to change between now and April, but I think it looks great so far. Remember, if you have any questions don't hesitate to get in touch with us here at CLP or with Holdern directly.

NASCLS 2009: Panel Announcements

Yesterday, I spoke with Dr. Stephen Holdern, organizer of the 2009 NASCLS Conference at the University of Manitoba.  He has solicited the assistance of some of your very own CLP contributors and labyrinthologists in the formation of a number of panels for this year's conference. Given the groundswell of labyrinthological scholarship over this past year, Stephen and I elected to devise a handful of panels which will allow participants to engage in dialogue on some of 2008's most challenging, provocative, and urgent topics. As Stephen was roundly impressed with the activity and community of the CLP, he gave me his consent to break the news and announce the first panels.  If you are thinking of submitting an abstract, you may also want to seriously consider partaking in the following panels:

Kafka's Corridors: The Self as Other in the Symbolic Labyrinth of The Castle

Panelists will discuss recent readings of one of Kafka's most seminal and unyielding works. Within the multifarious valences of the novel's featured structure, a growing body of critics identify an extensive symbolic matrix of a so-called "center-less labyrinth" in which the self undergoes the excruciating self-alienation through the navigational phenomenon of estrangement. 

The Indestructible Ontos

In this panel, labyrinthologists will discuss the controversial new theory of the indestructibility of labyrinth qua labyrinth. Recent research in labyrinth ruins, due either to the deliberate dismemberment of labyrinths in the waging of war or to the natural processes of erosion and weathering, argues that a labyrinth, regardless of decay or disarray, always retains its fundamental being as a labyrinth.

The Labyrinthological Imperative: Towards a Systematic Ethics of Internavigation

Philip Cunha is slated to moderate this roundtable, which will explore the persistent and perennial ethical questions that riddle internavigation.  Among the issues billed for discussion is the problematic of the labyrinthological imperative, a draconian theory which privileges arrival at the center over the welfare of fellow navigators.  

Await the announcement of more panels as soon as Dr. Holdern makes his finalizations.

Call for Papers - NASCLS 2009 Conference

I just got an email containing a call for papers from my colleague Stephen Holdern, CLA coordinator and 2009 organizer of the annual NASCLS conference which is being held next year in Manitoba (another coup for the burgeoning labyrinthology dept. at UMAN). I thought some of our readers might be interested in submitting an abstract.

CALL FOR PAPERS: NASCLS at the CLA Division Meeting
April 17-18, 2009, at the Manitoba Marriott

The North American Society for Contemporary Labyrinthological Studies (NASCLS) invites papers to be presented at its divisional meeting held in conjunction with the Canadian Labyrinthology Association. Papers may address any topic that involves the connection between post-constructivist loco-labyrinthology and ontology or ethics. Presentations should be 20-25 minutes (10-12 pages in length; 2500-3000 words). Participants must be currently paid members of the NASCLS. Submissions should be made by e-mail by February 1st to CLA conference coordinator Stephen Holdern, who may be reached at manitobalabconf_09@yahoo.com.