WHAT IS TZAWENIK? Since the fall of 2025, Deirdre Towers has been designing with Mara Aceves, Mexican born, Paris-based interior designer, a blueprint for a creative space with the aim of brings people to themselves and to each other. We seek a means of supporting those most affected by current events. A belief that the body and mind can largely heal itself with calm. With that in mind, we set out to create a sanctuary which grew to encompass three elements: a labyrinth, a wave, and a temple for one.

Early model

Our temple for one has the shape of two hands cupping each other. Open at the top, the visitor naturally looks up. The floor is built for dance,  with the resonance of a drum. A mandala at the center  – either on the floor or floating above the floor provokes questions and contemplation.

Our  door evolved into a wave as a symbol of change and resilience. Mara drew inspiration from Yakisugi, the Japanese method of charring wood with a controlled fire. Given the number of wild fires, we made the wave with the burnt wood, then raw chips, letting the wave ascend into a mobile of thin metal bits that flutter in the wind.

A labyrinth of stones, or plants or sculptures, sets up the feeling of a journey into this sanctuary/stage. Each community can decide whether to add plants, moss, scents,  colors, flowers, and sounds.

Overhead view of sanctuary/stage, wave enclosure and labyrinth

These days, it feels as though we are living through an environmental apocalypse. The wave could express destruction, transformation, and rebirth: charred wood at the base gradually transitioning into natural wood and shimmering metal, like a movement from ashes toward renewal and hope. Its wing-like form could evoke a phoenix rising from the ashes—a symbol of nature’s resilience and our responsibility to restore balance

We wish this project to be a Swiss Army knife of projects, many things to many people in different circumstances, at different times of the day– place to break the pace of working life; a space to tell stories, write stories.  Following the example of Habitat for the Humanity, we offer this artwork as a way for people to come together to construct a creative space right for them. Building on the success of community centers that offer workshops, performance opportunities, and mediation, Tzak! is a one-stop shop. We offer  the materials, the design, and the carpenters for free. The community assembles the volunteers to execute it and use it to their hearts’ content. For example, the community could decide whether the labyrinth is green and edible, a small stream shaped by rocks and branches, or a cryptic pattern of boulders. They could decide that the temple now 6′ wide by 9″ high should be twice as big! We aim to involve the community to assess the elements we propose and take it from there.

WHY BUILD A TZAWENIK NOW? “We are living in a time of constant stimulation, stress, and information overload. People may not be actively looking for a peace sanctuary,” says Mara, “but they are looking for what it offers: a chance to slow down, breathe deeply, reconnect with themselves, and remember the beauty of being alive. Many people don’t even realize how much they need moments of stillness and reflection until they experience them.”

We are investing in peace and because we believe play is essential for everyone. With a fresh perspective,  everyone working and using the sanctuary becomes more grounded, a little more hopeful, and a little more alive. In the process, they learn life-skills, gain a creative outlet for the local performers and artists, and a source of pride and joy.

WHO WE ARE: Mara, daughter of sculptor/painter Gustavo Aceves, and Deirdre, daughter of an architectural buff/woodsman keep returning to spirals, natural materials, and indigenous architecture. The symbolic language of labyrinths, spirals, circles can be understood by creating them, moving through them. Together they made two other installations at Waterfront Museum and Lilac Preservation Project. They met through sound healer Rakel Terceno

Given our Irish/Mexican heritage we arrived at the name for our haven Tzawenik, by crossing the Celtic symbol for Awen,  inspiration, with Ik, the Mayan word for wind.