By Matt Cohen and Sarah Anne Hughes
Inside the National Building Museum’s atrium — a football field-sized open space dotted by ornate columns — you’re going to get lost. Architect Bjarke Ingels has designed a 57 foot square maze made out of maple plywood, which has been constructed at one end of the Penn Quarter Museum.
It might seem hard to imagine getting lost inside a maze that looks no bigger than a small parking lot, but, under the right circumstances, you might find yourself in a Jack Torrence-like situation (but without all that murderous possession nonsense, of course).
But even as the maze can be a bit of a puzzle (but not too much; we made it through in just under six minutes), the real draw is Ingels’ sleek design, which he says “brings clarity and visual understanding” once you reach the labyrinth’s center.
It’s as much a marvel to appreciate as an architectural exhibit as it is a joy to try and find your way out.
The exhibit opens tomorrow and runs through September. Tickets are $10 for members, $16 for adults, and $13 for kids, seniors and students, and are first-come, first-serve. A live camera will remain on for the next few days.
0:00 – The maze is intimidating from the outside. At its tallest, it’s 18 feet high
:22 – A decision to take the “road less traveled” leads to a dead end.
1:00 – “Don’t spoil it! God, you’re a maze spoiler.”
We went through the maze with about 20 people, including the man who designed it, so maze spoilers — meaning people who clearly had taken a wrong turn and were correcting themselves — were at every bend. This could be part of the reason we traveled through the maze as quickly as we did, as we didn’t take many wrong turns.
Emma Filar, a communications associate for the Museum, said they aren’t sure how many people will pass through at one time; it will depend on demand. She also hopes that people standing in the above balconies will shout out some misdirection to the people in the maze.
1:22 – “Fuck.” OK, we did take a few wrong turns and it was a little bit frustrating.
1:42 – By this point, the maze was tapering off in height and we began to see a path to the center. Feeling a little confident, we immediately turned into a dead end, so we took a photo break. Emotions run high.
Matt: “I’m documenting it for my life, when I die.”
Sarah: “How about you die in this maze, Matt?”
Matt: “I’m ready.”
4:55 – We made it to the center, and it’s a nice payoff. Like being deep in a valley, you can see the paths gradually growing to 18 feet. The way out is extremely clear, but we take some time to enjoy the view.
6:00 – We exit the maze into the atrium, back into the wide-open space. The feeling of victory is real but brief as we see children departing after navigating the maze as well as we did.
