Oligreff on the State of Navigation in the late 2000's

Not normally known for doomsaying, Jacques Oligreff offerered some pointed criticisms of navigation in our present epoch at the MLC (Midwest Labyrinthology Consortium) meeting which took place this past weekend at DePaul Univeristy in Chicago. I managed to record most of his talk on microcassette (though my recorder died near the end of the almost 140 minute presentation). I'll try to post some audio excerpts later in the week.

"The call for a particularly stringent, codified system of labyrinth ethics - rules of the game, if you will - proves particularly urgent in the wake of Crete's labtech. Gone are the days in which navigators toiled solemnly and without interruption. Gone are the days in which the navigator, looking up at the firmament above him, summoned something deep within himself in order to find the will to press on, against all odds, to find his way to the center or to ambulate reverently, if he so chooses, free from the duress of centrality.

Last autumn I visited the Canyonlands Cave Labyrinth in Utah, one of my favorite domestic labyrinths, and one of the late Kobrin's most successful and inspired labyrinthectural designs. In the past, Chantal, my dear wife, and I have always enjoyed the rigor involved in successfully navigating the labyrinth. We've navigated to the center some 15 times now, and it never has ceased to be a challenge. This past visit was different. As we reached what I knew to be the notoriously difficult second center (Kobrin employs a system of deceptively angled obelisks to compel the navigator to believe he is congressing when in fact he is egressing at a rapid clip), I noticed, attached to the wall, a schematic for finding the center, replete with fastidiously documented photographs of the twists and turns one would encounter throughout the rest of his navigation.

I ask you my fellow labyrinthians, will we allow this to continue? Who will stand with me against the subversive, techno-labyrinthians who endeavor to do violence to the very essence of the labyrinth as we know and cherish it?"

Spirited words, indeed. While I sympathize with Oligreff on the lamentable abundance of subversive and misanthropic navigation in contemporary labyrinthology, I'm reticent to agree that a "rules of the game" is needed. Such a proposal is, to be sure, nothing if not prescriptive and, in a way, appears to run counter to the very essence of labyrinthology. I'm curious hear what any of you might think.

2008 ISCL Almanac Findings

The ISCL (International Society of Contemporary Labyrinthology) has just released its annual compendium of labyrinthological statistics. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the almanac, it is a chronicle published on December 20th of every year containing myriad facts, observations, and findings which endeavor to provide labyrinthians with something of an unbiased (though, in recent years the partisanship of the ISCL has been increasingly scrutinized by various labyrinthological factions) "state of affairs" with regard to all ISCL registered labyrinths and navigators. We here at CLP, as might be expected from a group of primarily New Exteriorist labyrinthians, tend to be most interested in the stats which pertain to navigational tendencies, rather than quantalogical intelligence. Here are a couple particularly interesting findings, broken down by continent, and some interesting observations that I've been pondering. Thoughts/interpretations are, as always, welcomed and encouraged.

Documented Occurrences of Misnav (misanthropic navigation):
Europe: 43
N. America: 36
Australia: 34
Asia: 31
Antarctica: 28
S. America: 17
Africa: 14

Consider this: Australia has only 5 ISCL accredited labyrinths. That misnav number is very high indeed. This is fairly alarming.

Documented Second Center Fatalities:
Asia: 23
Antarctica: 19
Europe: 15
Australia: 12
Africa: 9
S. America: 7
N. America: 3

Consider this: 1) Antarctica has only 2 registered labyrinths, both constructed by the late Belarusian labyrinth architect Mezin Kobrin. 2) Instances of SN in N. America have nearly tripled since last year.