Piccolo Labyrinth required two weeks of construction under a hot sun and the constant gaze of curious onlookers. Parker and his team of volunteers and students cut thousands of turf squares, stacking them on a rebar frame that revealed little of the labyrinth's plan until completion. Netting supported turf on the upper part of the structure while hand watering and sprinklers temporarily sustained the living medium.
As artistic motif, the labyrinth is a recurring theme spanning thousands of years. Ancient Roman mosaics portray a labyrinth imprisoning the mythological Minotaur within its meandering tunnels. Medieval labyrinths in cathedral gardens and sanctuaries were paths that clergy and religious pilgrims followed as a form of spiritual meditation. Traditional basketry of the Tohono O'odham of Arizona and Native American petroglyphs also exhibit the labyrinth motif. The Native American labyrinth has various interpretations, one aligning the idea of birth, the twists and turns of life, and the inevitability of death within the labyrinth's plan.
