'Her Majesty's Prison Maze (known colloquially as Maze Prison, The Maze, The H Blocks or Long Kesh) was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from mid-1971 to mid-2000.
It was situated in the former Royal Air Force station of Long Kesh, on the outskirts of Lisburn. This was in the townland of Maze, about nine miles (14 km) southwest Belfast. The prison and its inmates played a prominent role in recent Irish history, notably in the 1981 hunger strike. The prison was closed in 2000 and demolition began on 30 October 2006, but (as of 2010) has been halted.'
Wikipedia
The EU and Irish Government were considering developing the Maze Prison as a Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, a Memorial for Peace. Steve Jensen worked with RAA to develop a feasibility and creative concept for the visitor journey and experience. A series of hot spots were suggested to tell a narrative whilst preserving the memory of the existing buildings.
After years of political negotiations the project was cancelled due to the political and humanistic sensitivity.
Maze/Long Kesh Visitor Experience
Collaboration with RAA Ralph Applebaum Assoc.
1. WELCOME
You have arrived to the PBCRC
Global context of peace-building
2. GATHER
Engage in dialogue and discussion
3. LEARN
History of conflicts and conflict resolution within Northern Ireland
4. PREPARE
The Maze/Long Kesh prison in context
5. JOURNEY
Descend below and rise again into the existing prison site
6. JOURNEY
Circumnavigate the prison walls and enter into the existing prison site
7. CONNECT
Dialogue space, interaction and interrelations
8. ENTER: AMAZEMENT
The shock and awe upon entering the site
Visitor searches, family reunions, airlocks
9. HISTORY
The history of the site as told through Compound 19
10. SIGN OF LIFE
Barbecues and family gatherings, a glimmer of happiness
11. CONFINEMENT
Holding cells, processing papers—the realisation of life as a prisoner
12. POWER, SURVEILLANCE
The incredible amount of site monitors and cameras
13. FEAR
Enclosure in an air-lock
14. REFLECTION, HUMANITY
Caring for the prisoners; history of the Hospital
15. CULTURE, INTERACTION
Artist installations, inspired by the Prison
16. CARE, NATURE
Gardens maintained by the Prison Officers
17. SOLEMNITY, MELANCHOLY
H-Block cells, life in the prison;
Education and teaching rooms
18. PEACE, WORSHIP
Neutral, luminous, welcoming Chapel
19. REFLECTION
Meander through the sculpture garden
20. CONTEMPLATION, UNDERSTANDING
Temporary galleries; The Maze Prison in context of global events
