For the first time in three years, Burning Man festival will have a physical temple on the grounds of Black Rock City in Nevada, US – a man-made city built solely for the festival, with an architectural temple as its symbolic ‘burning man’.
This year’s temple, called Temple of the Heart, was designed by artist Ela Madej with Reed Finlay, and is described by Ela as a vessel for reconnecting, using “flowers, Eastern European lacing, and warm feminine energy.”
At 12 metres high, the temple is described by the festival as one that imitates an upside-down desert flower with its stem reaching into the sky. It features 640 wooden panels that are constructed on a 12-star base. The panels feature ornate floral patterns, while the ceiling panels bear traditional lace patterns inspired by the artist’s Polish heritage.
At the centre of the elaborate structure is the Heart Chamber which features the ‘Rose Altar’ – “a prominent decorative element that will be back-lit to emit a soft glow,” the festival explains.
“The Altar is situated on a star-shaped elevation that connects all the way up to an external spire that represents the stem, sending the energy of the space upwards.”
Renders: Kimu Studio
