For centuries, labyrinths have served as symbols of personal journeys, struggles, and triumphs. In addition to being the setting for classic myths, labyrinths are also a place where, with each thoughtful step, one can wander and process topics weighing heavily on the mind.

UConn Department of Sociology Professor-in-Residence Phoebe Godfrey, Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community and Urban Studies Professor Carol Atkinson-Palombo, and students recently installed a temporary labyrinth on campus to raise awareness for the possibility of a permanent remembrance labyrinth on the Storrs campus. The temporary chalk labyrinth can be found in between the Austin Building and Beach Hall until the next rain. 

Godfrey is inspired to advocate for a future labyrinth as a place on campus where people can gather, and temporary labyrinths are a great way to share the idea and purpose of the project. “My classes are all linked to helping students connect more deeply with their bodies, and the Earth as part of their and planetary well-being, and labyrinths are a great way to do this,” says Godfrey. “Many other schools have built them for similar reasons, including a small one at Eastern Connecticut State University.” 

After the success of the buddy bench project, Godfrey connected with UConn’s Director of Site Planning & University Landscape Architect Sean Vasington with the idea. 

“For decades prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and since, health care providers have emphasized the importance of natural and built environments and their influence on our overall health and wellbeing, recommending nature-based programs as one way to help alleviate stress,” Vasington says. “There is also a strong connection between the quality of the conditions and features of a campus landscape and the mental health of students, including their ability to perform to their full potential academically. UConn is fortunate to have beautiful, open grounds and forests with ample walking paths and communal sitting areas; however it can also benefit from more quiet, reflective spaces within the campus core that connect us to nature. The proposed garden and labyrinth will do just that.” 

Godfrey also attended a conference and met with educators at the University of Massachusetts who are working toward building a permanent installation on their campus. The UMass project has been underway for almost 10 years, and was bolstered by a study that suggested that labyrinth walking can lower blood pressure and pulse rate and increase overall satisfaction.  

As with the current labyrinth installation, in Spring 2024 a temporary labyrinth was constructed between the Austin Building and Beach Hall for Earth Day. The installation included a journal for participants to share their thoughts or reflections, and the response was greater than anticipated.  

Godfrey says around 25 people who visited the labyrinth last year wrote in the journal about their positive experiences interacting with the labyrinth. 

“The diverse and yet collectively positive impact of labyrinths on university students has been documented,” says Godfrey. “Positive impacts include mental health and well-being, connecting walkers to a sense of place, sacredness and an ancient practice, and offering opportunities for lessons in contemplation and self-care. These claims were and continue to be supported by our student testimonies.” 

Ella Barnett ‘24 (CLAS) helped with the construction of the labyrinth last spring and came back this year as an alum to help and document this year’s labyrinth through photography.

“It has been beautiful to watch the labyrinth come to life for the second year in a row. I am grateful that it is able to create a space where individuals have an excuse to connect on the simplest terms, being a human with thought on Earth,” says Barnett.  

Eduen Smith ’25 (CLAS) also helped construct this spring’s labyrinth.

“This pop-up labyrinth is linked to a pop-up class from last fall based on the book ‘All We Can Save.’ The signs you see at the labyrinth were made by the students in class. They showcase some excerpts from various pieces in the book,” says Smith. “For me, this labyrinth is an example of how our students should be supported. A labyrinth is a simple creation that can impact folx’s mental health in profoundly positive ways. It’d also be a great permanent addition to our campus and even help beautify it!” 

Though the spring installation was created with spray paint, other types of temporary labyrinths can be projected by light, constructed with yarn, or made of canvas or any other material — the creative possibilities are endless. 

The potential project was granted space behind Arjona and engineered a few years ago, but to make it happen, Godfrey says, new momentum must be generated by recognizing the value of such ancient practice for our students now and into the future.  

“The next challenge is to raise funding to complete the design and installation. Based on the success of the previous temporary installation, we hope this Spring installation will continue to build awareness and support for our permanent version,” says Godfrey. 

When the weather is nice, people gather around Mirror Lake or Swan Lake, and landmarks like the former beloved Swing Tree and the buddy benches serve as areas where people can sit and enjoy the scenery. The labyrinth project’s collaborators hope the plan goes forward so the labyrinth can be another place on campus where students can hang out and enjoy the outdoors. In the meantime, to alleviate the end-of-semester stress, spend some time decompressing while you explore the latest temporary labyrinth installation.  

The importance of decompressing and living in the moment is illustrated by a quote from a student who left a reflection of their time in the labyrinth in the journal:

“My intention entering the labyrinth was to let go of this sense of hopelessness that has taken over me recently. As I took a stone, I prepared my body to take a breath and begin the walk. As I walked through the labyrinth, I imagined each hopeless thought as a stone that was weighing me down that dropped from my shoulders with every step I took. Finally, as I reached the center of the labyrinth, I placed the stone in the middle, symbolizing my own ‘pilgrimage for hope’. I felt connected to the Earth.” 
 

As members of UConn’s Collaboratory for JUST Innovation and Climate Equity, or JUSTICE, Atkinson-Palombo, Godfrey, and collaborators hope the labyrinth project also serves to highlight the Collaboratory’s missions of community building and inter-disciplinary approaches to climate education. JUSTICE brings together faculty and experts from diverse disciplines spanning STEM, social sciences, and the humanities to collaborate on innovative, integrative, and justice-oriented projects and educational opportunities to address the climate crisis.

In the Fall semester, Atkinson-Palombo and Godfrey collaborated with Kathy Fischer, associate director of the UConn Women’s Center, on developing and teaching a course on ecofeminism. The course interfaces with this year’s UConn Reads selection, “All We Can Save,” edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson. Johnson visited UConn at the end of March to celebrate Women’s History Month.