Spanish architect Miguel Arraiz has released designs informed by Japanese craft and volcanic stone for a monumental temple to be installed at this year’s Burning Man event in Nevada.
The first Spaniard to design the yearly temple, a central installation at the art and music event, Arraiz has opted for a monumental design with a geologic dome supported by buttresses.
Called The Temple of the Deep, the design was informed by the volcanic geography of Black Rock City, the city formed as tens of thousands of people descend on the alkali flats of Nevada for Burning Man.
Though the final material hasn’t been set, the monumental, heptagonal dome will be constructed with wood and then blackened either by paint, burning or chemical treatment.
“Its natural and futuristic design stands out for its monumental scale and intricate beauty,” said the team.
It will have a complex interior support system that allows the structure to have an open-air element in the middle, designed to increase ventilation inside and outside the structure while maintaining the shade benefits necessary in the deep desert.
The exterior will also feature fractures in the facade, a reference to the Japanese kintsugi technique wherein the fractures between shards of repaired pottery are affixed with iridescent material to highlight the repair.
According to Arraiz, the combination of geologic references with this craft technique is meant to symbolize both solidity and vulnerability.
“We gather under a symbolic rock, our heart and soul shattered into pieces,” said Arraiz. “Through communal healing, these scars tell our journey (kintsugi), turning loss into peace and connection.”
The interior of the temple will have a vortex of tubing around the central opening and amphitheatre-style seating.
Due to time constraints and the lack of infrastructure at the site, much of the structure will be assembled in California and shipped in pieces for assembly before Burning Man begins in September.
Architects Javier Molinero, Javier Bono, Arqueha and Josep Marti have been cited as collaborators and will be joined by hundreds of volunteers to bring Arraiz’s design to fruition.
Since 2000, the Burning Man temple has served as a non-denominational gathering space during the week-long event. It is ceremonially burned at the end of the gathering, along with the effigy for which the event is named.
Past designers of the temple included Caroline Ghosn and Ela Madej. Arraiz’s design is a departure from the more delicate facades and religious design motifs employed over the last few years.
Noteworthy architects, including Bjarke Ingels and Arthur Mamou-Mani, have been involved in building large-scale installations at the event in years past.
While Burning Man is known for its leave-no-trace ethos, some have criticized the energy and materials required to put on the event, with Burning Man itself noting the negative impacts that the burning of artworks has on the environment.
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