The Temple of Direction, 2019 temple Fundraiser

[templebuilder2019]

Hello Burners,

It is me Geordie and I will be your Temple Builder this year. I wanted to have this conversation with you, because you have all been with me for a long time. I’ve been thinking of each of you as I designed this temple for you.

I’d like to tell you what I thought.

When I decided to design a temple I had to think about what the Temple is, and what it does. I thought, well the Temple is a landmark and helps burners find their on the playa. I also thought that the Temple is a unique piece of art at Burning Man, because it provides a service to whoever needs it. It’s like a vessel where people can leave or take what they need. This typically involves death, grief, loss and pain but also remembrance and love.

These are among the most sacred emotions and feelings a person experiences in life.
So I had to think of the sacred places and buildings I have been to. I thought of beautiful cathedrals and ornate temples, and I said those are nice. I also thought of simple places like Yasakuni, and Ha Kotel and even Stonehenge. When I thought of these more simple places it reminded me of the playa. The playa can be a very simple place; sky, ground, mountains.

I knew then I wanted to make a temple that created sacredness through simplicity. A place that would not impose itself on the people that visited, but allowed them to be.

So I designed with the most basic of elements, solid and void, light and shadow. Simplicity seems so simple to achieve, but the opposite is true. I went through many, many, design changes, seeking to include only the most essential elements and removing the rest.

I thought about life and death and how this can be described as a linear journey, and so I made this temple linear.

I thought about growth and change, and so this temple grows and then diminishes.

I thought about how sometimes in life something happens that is dramatic, and so this temple splits dramatically in the middle. Here I also put a piece of art called The Koi Pond. It has a bridge. Bridges are symbols of crossing over, or connection, which I think is a good metaphor for life changing or life ending events. A person can also walk on this bridge and gain a different perspective.

I make the walls solid so visitors won’t be distracted by the art car with the naked people on it driving by. They can go outside and see the car and naked people when they are done.

I see all these slats and they are like empty lines on a sheet of paper, ready for stories and tributes and memories to be written on. The whole temple is like this. I want there to be room for everyone to write their story. I imagine this one woman in my mind, she’s very cool, and she brings a ladder and she is writing the “Epic of Gilgamesh” about someone important to her on the ceilings. She’s there a long time, but there’s room for her.

So as you can see, I’ve been thinking about you for a long time. I am very happy to be able to build this temple for you. I’m going to need your help. Please donate to my fundraising campaign.

http://fnd.us/TempleofDirection2019?ref ... _sh_a84Rr7

Geordie Van Der Bosch

[AntiM]

Moderator note: I added "fundraiser" to the title per the posting guidelines.

I love this temple concept. I will be bringing MyLarry's kilt and ashes, although we may do a full skeleton wearing his burner gear. And a bottle of Fireball.