Discovery Park Labyrinth in Discovery West, Bend, Oregon
In August of 2023, Romy Mortensen of Discovery West in Bend, OR contacted us to see if we were interested in designing a labyrinth for a public park in a new development.
It was the start of an exciting journey together and the meeting of some extraordinary people along the way, in a beautiful place on this Earth.
We were introduced to the proposed site through a series of photos, a bare strip of land that reminded Marylin and I of a dry riverbed. Because of the winding rivers in the Bend, OR area, specifically the Deschutes River we let the imagery guide us. We created a pass-through labyrinth design with a nod to the history of "Farewell Bend" which was where the last campsite and watering spot was for pioneers following the Oregon Trail along the Deschutes River before turning northwest into more challenging terrain.
With Marilyn in Minnesota and me in Northern California, most of our design collaborations are via phone and photos. But this time we had the opportunity to work on the design together in person. And we created a mock-up of the proposed labyrinth with found stones.
It took a year and a half to navigate the complexities of installing a public labyrinth involving many different players. But with everyone working together and keeping the communication channels open, the results were incredibly beautiful. I was fortunate to get to be there for the dedication and meet in person the wonderful people who made this labyrinth happen. Local Sparrow Bakery even created labyrinth cookies to be shared by those who attended!
The following video was created by videographer Spencer Keen.
- Lea Goode-Harris & Marilyn Larson, Creative Labyrinths
- Discovery West Team (led by Romy Mortensen & Valerie Yost)
- Bend Park & Recreation District
- Bend Sustainability Fund
- Empire Stone
- Taylor NW
- Botanical Developments
- Nancy Sullivan
- Timothy Gorbold
- Carlson Sign
- Spencer Keen (videographer)
