The serpentine maze of Basilica’s pattern echoes the twining columns of Istanbul’s Basilica Cistern, where rock-sized emblems of the Gorgon Medusa — queen of the underworld — stand rooted in shallow pools of the silent river’s flow, their heads purportedly tilted to deflect their stony gaze. In this mysterious space, dark waters snake silently through the underground labyrinth of the Byzantine kingdom, once reaching the world above.