Greek legend inspires a thread of hope in Germany

The heroic Theseus of Greek mythology followed a thread through a mysterious maze to battle the half-man, half-bull Minotaur. German artist Alexander Huemer saw parallels between the Minotaur and fears about integrating new Eastern European countries into the European Union. His art project, the Ariadne thread, symbolizes a bright red pathway to unity.

The Ariadne project involved winding a red thread from Linz, Germany, through 1,326 miles of the Danube River, which receives water from a massive watershed that includes Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, and many other Eastern European nations. Lenzing Austria, a producer of integrated pulp and viscose fiber, manufactured the red yarn, which Huemer unspooled from the deck of the Flagship Europe, beginning in western Germany and ending at the Black Sea. Huemer calls the thread “a ribbon of life which unites everything for the future.” For more about the project, see Huemer’s Web site, www.alexanderhuemer.com/der_ariadnefaden.htm.