The George Harrison Woodland Walk

Competition proposal

In april 2020 Liverpool city council held a competition for installations and artworks to be build on a 12-acre site in Allerton in the south of Liverpool to honour George Harrison.

My installation is situated in the open meadow: a mandala grass maze, that mixes the turf maze British tradition with mandala symbolism. It links this place to the universe, it is visible from aerial view, and it provides a pilgrimage feature that can be used as a meditation path for everyone, or a playground for children.

A one meter wide path can be suitable for wheelchairs access, and the use of paving helps reduce maintenance. The “filling” of the drawing can be simply made of the existing grass or other local species that can be mowed once or twice a year, as usual, providing a different perspective as it grows through the seasons. In this way, the mandala blends with discretion in the landscape.

The planting proposal features scattered flowering species to differentiate the maze from the outer grassland, choosing from not invasive ones and mixing them with the existing grass to achieve a “natural” effect. The centre is marked by a reflective feature – a small water pond if there is water available nearby, or a polished stainless steel plate to symbolize inner reflection.

The paths can be paved with recycled materials, such as stone, bricks or concrete blocks.

With alphabetic concrete blocks or coloured bricks it is possible to write quotes: “When you've seen beyond yourself Then you may find peace of mind is waiting there And the time will come when you see we're all one And life flows on within you and without you” from George Harrison’s song “Within you without you”, mirroring the mandala as a way to see within ourselves, and nature as a place in which you can see life flowing, grasses waving in the wind, and feel one with the whole.