Burning Man has revealed the design for the central 2019 Temple for Black Rock City by Geordie Van Der Bosch. Featuring a design inspired by the Torii gates of the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Japan, the Temple submission was chosen for its elegant simplicity. Dubbed The Temple of Direction, the design consists of wooden archways that form a linear passageway to a large central hall.
The Temple will be built next year in the Nevada desert during the festival which attracts around 70,000 attendees each August. The design was made to elicit both a "physical experience and a metaphorical journey." as a space that responds to the openness of the playa by creating a framework that encourages visitors to travel from end to end. Spanning 180-feet-long, 37-feet-wide, and 36-feet-high, the Temple will be oriented so its four entrances will align with the cardinal points. Decorated with lanterns, the temple's "linear form reflects the passage of life with its beginning, middle, and end," said the Burning Man team. "Throughout the structure there are areas that reflect this journey: narrow and wide spaces, bright and dark spaces, and tunnels that create intimate physical settings." The hall will feature an altar and shelves for offerings from attendees.
Burning Man has issued a call for volunteers to help build the temple, which will be primarily fabricated in Oakland, California, and for fundraising efforts to help realize Van Der Bosch's project. The Burning Man festival will take place from August 25th to September 2nd, and the temple will be burned at the festival's end.
