2003 Art Installations

A firefall is a water fountain on fire; the water protects you so you can hold the flames in your bare hands. Egeria was the Roman goddess of fountains, who cried so long after her lover died that she turned into a fountain.
URL: burningideas.com/firefall/egeria

A temple made of Rastafarian-themed batiks contains an altar.

A small paradox in social behaviour.
Follow the signs from center camp into the void. As you get further from the center of social activity look into your heart and focus on the “I” within. Follow the rituals on the signs to find the next and join the cult nobody is a member of.

If someone is watching, what would we like to show them?

Come to the Fear Tree to get rid of all your fears.
Write or draw them on one of the several thousand post-it notes. The fearless team will exorcise your fears with a daily ritual, and on Saturday night the Fear Tree will be burned, and all the fears will be released in the desert wind. The fearless team will keep chasing the evil spirit of fears through the western American deserts, and with help and inspiration from the Navajo Nation, other rituals will be set, in order to seal the fears away forever.

Four mythical scarab beetles surround a 10′ diameter dung ball. Each beetle is aligned with a cardinal direction, symbolizing the elements of the earth uniting in self regeneration and rebirth.

A 6′ copper rose bush bears hand-blown glass flowers, which put forth soft, licking flames. Its thorns produce sharp blue pencil flames.

An army of small papier mache GreyMen surrounds an altar, where one can rid oneself of the burdens and rules imposed by society by customizing and burning one’s own personal GreyMan.

URL: www.dadara.com

The cafe portal, made of cut steel, is adorned with the artist’s whimsical metal cutouts.

Carousel Numinous invites you, with three carousels interconnected to a flaming tower, to take part in the circular motion of life and belief systems. Settle into any deity that beckons to you, give it your energy and it will give you a swirling cacophony of sound, light and motion. Interact through ritual with a sense of awe, ecstasy or dread that is the Numinous.

URL: www.jennybirdart.com

This 9′ tall climbable Gothic cathedral cutaway features arched and clover windows, gargoyles and other ornamentation and will function as a viewing platform in the cafe.

This grand and peacefully rotating 40′ wheel is a shrine for performance, practice, and meditation by day. At night, it will awaken with the Sol System dance temple and Sonic Runway, pulsating its psychedelic synchronized lights, projecting sacred laser animations, and burning rhythmic flames into the skies.

A three-sided circular pattern of hundreds of mosaic eyes peers back at the viewer, who becomes the center of a mirrored pupil. The warped, mirrored interior warps all cognitive boundaries and gives viewers the ability to see infinitely. At night one can see an endless cellular environment.

Some say that in every bed a promise is made. At the intersection of myth and reality a deceit was used as a prelude to the passion play. As a consequence, a gigantic chandelier from the goddess’s bordello fell through the ballroom floor and crashed into the playa just outside Black Rock City’s streets… and of course, it is larger than life.
URL: www.cleavageinspace.com

Participants are welcome to sit in this confessional and confess their sins. A non-judgemental someone, or something, will be listening to you through a screened portal.

A 14′ cross, covered in broken mirror mosaic, represents our perceptions about our reflections, and more. While standing on a platform opposite the cross, we see ourselves and the playa beyond. Not just a religious icon, the cross also acts as a window. We all have our own crosses to bear; this is an equal opportunity self-crucifixion station.

What is your personal relationship to this symbol, inherent in so much of Western culture? Feelings associated with the act of crucifixion are powerful and multifaceted. Here is an opportunity for the contemplation and physical exploration of three life-sized crosses, configured as depicted in early Christian art portraying the execution of Jesus of Nazareth on the hill of Golgotha. On these crosses, the willing can temporarily mount themselves to experience some of the physical, emotional, and spiritual sensations involved.

The Cult of St. Elmo combines high voltage technology, antiquated maritime superstition, and 80’s pop culture. It offers a hands-on, interactive experience with high voltage that will help people overcome their fear of electricity. Selected participants will be placed in a cage with Dr. MegaVolt. The cage will be struck by artificial lightning and will emit St. Elmo’s Fire, an electrical phenomenon. The machine that will make St. Elmo’s Fire is a Van De Graaf Generator, originally built to accelerate electrons for nuclear physics experiments. The electricity that it produces is direct current (as opposed to the high frequency current from a Tesla Coil). This current will make hair stand on end, makes St. Elmo’s Fire jump from objects, and will produce loud electrical discharges preceded by the hissing sound of electrons jumping into the air.
URL: www.drmegavolt.com

The myth of Orpheus comes to life as his lyre, long ago placed in the heavens as the constellation Lyra, comes back to earth to create beautiful music. The 24 strings of this 10-foot high lyre are rope-lights which are controlled independently by the notes of the music. Surrounding the lyre are 4 dance pads, on which people will dance to interactively control and generate the music being played.

A portal of communication between the living and the dead, or those dead to you, where you can send letters to heaven, hell, the void or the vasty deep. Writing desks are provided; no postage necessary.

A triangle with a Christian cross, a star of David, and “Allah” in Arabic script captures and tangles our human spirit.

The dodecahedron, five pointed star and pentagon are simple mathematical forms. In engineering they provide little benefit for structural stability, efficient use of materials, ease of calculation and construction, or modularity (dodecahedrons don’t stack, pentagons do not tile a flat plane). Because of this they are not usual shapes to be encountered in day to day life. They are orphan shapes – outside of the norm. The unusual is sometimes shunned, sometimes piques curiosity and sometimes grasped as symbols. The purpose of this shrine is to explore people’s seeming need to associate geometric symbols with belief systems. The texture of cast iron, the mystic draw of fire and the combination of five pointed stars and pentagons surrounded by a structure whose method of construction is indecipherable by most belies the title. Mathematics is not always viewed as neutral and pure.
URL: dodeca.prism.asu.edu/DodecaShrine.html

In the turbulent ocean that is Burning Man, islands of calm are needed. These locations of sacred tranquility offer their own experience in addition to punctuating the volatility surrounding them. Elemental Shrine was designed as a joining of minds and hearts. It was designed as an homage to love, as the ground where I became engaged and promised to the heart of another, as a space where any could venture and find similar meaning.
The torii is the gateway to an ethereal plane, a symbolic reminder that one is leaving behind the everyday and exploring the vibration of the eternal. The twin flames alight at night call citizens of Black Rock through the experience. Guarding the central doorway on either side are the Fu Guardian statues. These statues serve to protect the shrine from all those of bad intention. Entering the shrine is an embrace of the five elemental altars (metal, earth, water, air, and fire). Centrally located and binding these together is the prayer wheel spinning holy thought through the open roof and into the heavens.

Surrounding the rear of the shrine are the peace bells, offering the opportunity to manifest through sound the dreams and desires of many people from around the world. Fourteen words and symbols of hope, desire, and beauty are cut into fourteen large steel bells — each cut uniquely coloring the quality of the sound. And like a tibetan prayer flag that sends out its prayer with each gust of wind, so too do the bells physically resonate the intention of the person who created each symbol. At night the shrine, prayer wheel and bells are illuminated with the stored energy of the sun, providing a soft, constant, grounded counterpoint to the beautiful chaos swirling around.

For thousands of years people have been turning inward in search of spiritual enlightenment; the labyrinth is a physical manifestation of this journey. Unlike a maze, its geographic center is not elusive. By making the pilgrimage to the center of the labyrinth and out again, one returns to one’s own spiritual center.

“God Bless America!” What about the rest of the world? We are all inextricably interconnected. Let’s evolve beyond “us vs. them” to the unity of one human family. If you cannot see God in all, you cannot see God at all.

Don’t think anyone is keeping an eye on you at Burning Man? Think again! The Eyes of Gawd will appear nightly (weather permitting) floating high over the playa, over 30′ wide and 10′ tall. You can’t run; you can’t hide; Gawd (Gawddess?) is watching.
URL: www.eyesofgawd.com

The five doors are physical manifestations of universal conditioned beliefs we experience while visiting Black Rock City. The project is a series of doors leading up to the man, each labeled with a word that addresses each of these beliefs. Each door is a an opportunity for visitors to move beyond their conditioned beliefs in order reach a higher level of consciousness. Upon passing through the final door visitors find themselves face to face with the “Man” himself; the ultimate truth that is… beyond belief.

Forty people the artist loves say their names in these large scale black and white photographs. The photographs are a visual manifestation of their life energy and three things that make them human – appearance, language and self-awareness. Their spirituality does not require belief; its existence is self-evident and sacred.

A 39′ diameter labyrinth contains a Genesa crystal, an archetypal structure of light and consciousness that expresses an ongoing expansion or flow of life without a point of separation, creating the experience of unlimitedness. Walk the labyrinth to the 7′ crystal in its center, step into the Genesa and free your consciousness to probe the known and the unknown.

A robed metal figure, hands held high, functions as a container for fire.

A free-standing 6 ft. diameter copper symbol, lit by el-wire, contains four circles in a ratio of 1:2:3:5, each within another circle. The circles represent, in descending order of size, the universe, the earth, life and consciousness. Each depends upon the one before and together the circles represent the state of oneness.

URL: www.consciouslife.org

Dana will create two altars in the interior of the Temple where participants may leave gifts and offerings. She will also create decorative panels for the stage, side entryways, and alcoves at the base, as well as a stone marker for the top of the temple.

The Hand of God will rise from the playa with all five fingers reaching for the sky, threatening as well as beckoning the barren world that surrounds her. The Hand will cast fiery judgment and blessings upon all that make the pilgrimage.

URL: www.flaminglotus.com

Description of artwork.

HeadTemple brings forth two inspirations literal and spiritual. On one side, fantasy and whimsical adornment cross over into discovery and the exploration of sacred places. Defining what is sacred and how we choose to respond to deities is the gateway HeadTemple attempts to open. Only by hearing tyrants and humanitarians can HeadTemple’s inner sanctum be reached. Beneath a canopy the Great Head watches, waiting to judge those who enter. Anonymous faces with piercing eyes ring the temple and stand witness. The Great Head speaks, but who will listen? His wisdom contradicts forces outside temple boundaries. Pilgrims must decide which voice, which path, to follow.
URL: www.headtemple.com

Heart-a-tac-a-lac, Cadillac cum religious relic and the sacred heart of Black Rock City is a mobile sanctuary and pavilion. Ultimate devotion is often expressed through the icon of the sacred heart. The image represents absolute love; our Heart-a-tac-a-lac ritual is one of cultural reappropriation of symbolic imagery. We intend to bring full circle the lineage of the sacred heart by returning the icon to its historical root – the god Bel of Babylonia.
Built by a community who believes in its cause, the car is crowned by a baroque mural of 500 anodized aluminum plates. While the mural depicting a Burning Man goddess and the god Bel of Babylonia is a single work, each plate is uniquely textured with symbols of hearts and other orphaned icons created by the East Coast Burning Man Community. The mural houses a sanctum with an interactive flame which senses the participants pulse and translates it into the flame of the sacred heart sculpture, creating two hearts that beat as one.

For hundreds of years religious zealots burned people alive for nothing less than what they thought or were merely accused of thinking, or for what they may have confessed to while being tortured. Heretic’s Revenge will feature a daily mock “revenge burning” of a zealot conspicuous in history for supporting this barbaric atrocity.

This shrine contains three recycled and re-purposed art-televisions, one of which plays an inspirational video.

A miniature Japanese temple with incense and offerings is intended to make the viewer feel like a huge Godzilla.

Idle Worship marries the spirituality of Buddhism with the energy and passion of Burning Man, featuring a horizontal Burning Man in the posture of a reclining Buddha, just before achieving the state of Nirvana. One can make offerings, burn incense, and engage in peaceful reflection and meditation.

After passing through a walk-through altar one arrives at the foot of the Illuminomicon, spire of alchemical imagination, organic machine, eons-old ruin of celestial archaeology. Hallucinatory, ever-shifting patterns play across interior planes, as light leaps into the night sky, opening the eye of the Cafe’s oculus wide in disbelief.

A group of colored lanterns on bamboo poles is arranged so that the conscientious viewer can walk around them and discern a mantra hidden within the grouping, thus activating this prayer wheel. This mantra contains five letters, each in a different color, and one will appear to encircle the man.

The Jabberwock is a mobile multi-sensory fully immersive environment created from the depths of our collective psyche, a mutating art car with 3 projectors and advanced real-time 3-D animation software designed to create an ever-shifting constantly evolving metamorphic world. The Jabberwock is the darkness that comes in the dead of night to steal that which moves behind your eyes, the spectral fibers of your imaginings that shine like rainbows within the night of your soul. The Jabberwock comes to collect these silver crustaceans of mortality, these transcendent memes of your desires. The Jabberwock siphons them from your unprotected unconsciousness, merging them with the raging dreams of a world gone mad.

This large scale installation, made of wood with a white translucent skin, stands 32ft wide, 40ft long and 24ft high at the apex of its vented dome. A cylindrical portal allows access into its protective interior, which provides a serene space for congregation and contemplation. The sculpture’s form strongly references the human body, religious architecture and Marcel Duchamp’s revolutionary conceptual art piece, “Fountain,” thus embodying the sacred and the profane, the everyday and the ethereal. Under the dome, a spouting fountain adds a subtle sound component, while hinting at Duchamp’s “readymade”. At night the sculpture is illuminated from a hidden source, and glows with trancendental luminescence.
“Johnny-on-the-Spot” is a meditation on how context shapes our experience and creates a structure for what we believe, challenging the readymade beliefs that inform our experience.
URL: www.johnnyonthespot.ws
, aniweinstein (at) hotmail (dot) com

The Jupiter Fone is a radio telescope that is tuned to receive the prominent radio signal from the planet Jupiter. The origin of the signal is not completely understood but it is very large and is most likely the first signal that would be investigated by “someone” observing our solar system from another galaxy. Included in the installation is a means of transmitting signals back to Jupiter.

This 9′ tall blue bunny goddess has four arms that hold a sword, a severed golden bunny head, a flaming golden egg and a blacklite OM symbol. As the terrible manifestation of the Divine Mother, she is known for destroying ignorance and for helping all those who strive for knowledge of the truth.

A chess king whose cross is broken in half is surrounded by glowing hands emerging from the earth around him. His broken cross is symbolic of lost faith; nevertheless, he’s still a king. The supplicant’s hands are symbolic of rooted faiths that they can’t let go of so easily.

This year, in the spirit of St. John Climacos, I will be constructing a Klimax beyond belief. The Klimax, Greek for ladder, has been an icon of the divine ascent for centuries. It was originally referred to as a series of steps by which a goal would be achieved-most notably as the ladder between heaven and earth or as in the alchemical belief in deriving gold from the sun and silver from the moon. Over time, anticipating the culmination was replaced by reference to the goal itself. Regardless of its symbolic, metaphorical, or allegorical significance, the physical act of climbing is still one of my favorite pleasures and as such inspiration alone for this climatic endeavor.

URL: www.michaelchristian.com

This 80′ diameter black & white labyrinth will be lit by el wire that dims and glows to the pace of meditative breathing. The concept is to allow people to interact with themselves and others and reflect upon the emotions, state of mind, or philosophical thoughts produced by the journey through the labyrinth. The design of the path takes into account the history of labyrinths and the varied purposes they have served over the past five thousand years.

As an American icon, the image of the goddess Liberty has served as a symbol of belief in the mythology of freedom, justice and democracy in this country. Considering the current tension between the ideals and myths of the United States and reality, the shrine illuminates the dichotomy between freedom and control.

The Light, Truth and Existence pavillion is an educational and thought-provoking exploration of the ultimate answers to the question “what is light?” There are six answers there, all true, depending on how the answer is used. Hands-on optical experiments and demonstrations you can do at home will provide an empirical basis for the truth of classical science, while the philosophical challenges of quantum theory are related to questions of ultimate reality. Beyond belief lies justified true belief, a state of knowing the real as it presents itself to our salivating senses. Mix colors, talk on a laser beam, see a galaxy, decelerate a photoelectron, see the uncertainty principle in your hair. Do we create reality by observing it, or does the harsh desert turn its face away, uncaring? Perplexing fun for all and one!

Watch the blinding candlepower pour from the 12" diameter reflector dish as it scans the heavens searching for the next star to step into the “limelight”. Cut metal slides placed in the lights path will turn it into the world’s largest magic lantern.
By day see the sacred parabolic geometry focus the wrath of our local sun onto any object with a melting point. Turn those worn out relics, charms, and talismans into the humble puddles from whence they came. Cast a new idol from the molten sands of an ancient lake bed.
URL: www.playahearth.com

The medium used to be the message. It’s become so much more. The boob tube can be your faith, your forgiveness, and your salvation.

We are the life on the surface of the Earth. The roots of our ancestors below rise up from beneath the playa, creating the six vertices which direct the Life-Force into the center void. As the stars overhead are the roots of the next world above, we will concentrate our positive loving thought energy into the crystal seed to transform it into the spiritual roots of what is to come.

Unlike a human hand, the Moving Hand of God, a 15-foot tall, wooden, lighted, mobile hand glows red at night and has the ability to shoot fire from its fingertips. The Mission of the Hand is twofold: 1) To lead our people out of darkness and into the light of participation, and 2) To allow participants to ascend the ranks of religious experience and attain the status of Messiah. Look for the Hand wondering the playa and let it guide you to areas of interest and participation.

The seven circuit labyrinth has been found in ancient cultures all over the world, from Hopi Land to Crete. Now for the first time will it be implemented for use by modern means of transportation, the automobile.

Underneath an open pyramid structure a swimming pool beckons. Participants can relax in deck chairs and watch the swimmers frolic.

Gothic altars surrounded by eight columns support strobing white orbs that mark the presence of the portapotties in the art area. Remember, Spirituality (Belief) is not inherent in any religon, idol, scripture or anything worshipped. It is created by intention, sacredness and inner-stillness.

Inspired by the Delphic Oracle of ancient Greece, Omphalos is a 70-foot diameter sacred space for dialogue between an individual and the universe/god with music, improvised spoken word and trance dance as the vehicle for the interaction. The central altar is dominated by a huge face (Inanna) of openwork steel animated by the flickering fire which casts shadows of ritual dancers and singers on the 8-foot white fabric walls like Greek black figure pottery, creating the overall effect of a giant lantern. The spinning Omphalos above the fire will welcome you to the sacred space, where through ritual preparation you may be chosen to approach the oracle with your question.

URL: Burningmanopera.org

A fourfold laser beam pattern will emit from the pyramid under The Man, going in the four cardinal directions (referenced to the city). Each constant, green beam will be directed toward a target at the periphery of the city, on top of the Café or far out on the playa. In ancient times, the world was conceptually divided into four quadrants, probably an early realization that a square coordinate system is convenient for two-dimensional maps. The Cartesian system of numbering locations based on their x and y position on such a map calls the crossing point of the axes “the Origin”. This kind of division expresses a belief in an orderly universe. A conceptually simple scheme for organizing our knowledge of the earth’s surface works for us, and becomes the very picture of reality. The linear laser beams embody the idea of simple order, and a belief that our mathematical concepts reflect nature’s intrinsic character.

A quiet meditation based on Wallace Stevens’ poem, “Of Mere Being”, awaits those about to enter The Realm of the Wholly Other.

This 19′ icosahedron represents the interlocking perfect geometric solids. They are called the Platonic solids because Plato referred to them in the Timaeus, saying that all of nature and matter was comprised of a combination of these five solid perfect geometric forms.

A flaming phoenix beckons all to come to the Phoenix Temple. He stands in a nest of fire as his plumage blazes in multi-hued flames. We offer this temple of contemplation to the community to consider the phoenix’s message of renewal and rebirth. Enter the temple behind the blazing bird and recline as you reflect on your personal dream of renewal. On the altar rests a large single phoenix egg where you can insert your written hopes. There will be a ritual burning of the egg at the end of the week and other rituals planned. We plan to schedule works of renewal by acoustic musicians, drummers, spoken word artists and others in the temple. At nightfall, fire dancers are welcome to celebrate outside the temple around the fiery phoenix.

This phone booth is equipped with a direct line to God. Pick up the phone and talk to God (assuming he/she/it is in).
URL: www.obop.org/2003/plans.htm

Did god really speak from a pillar of fire? Does human consciousness travel through vortexes in interdimensional space? Is it possible to communicate through these vortexes? Is it possible to interact directly with nature by capturing the bases of dust devils? By night, 200′ fire vortexes will roam across the playa, and groups of people massed around smaller, faster vortexes will draw in their combined and individual human energy and send it, via the vortex, into the cosmos. By day, the bases of naturally occurring dust devils will be captured and moved independently to their tops, their speed, form, and color altered – a breakthrough in art and science.

URL: www.fire-arts.com

Take a seat and watch as hundreds of glimmering lenses project fields of stars into the heavens. Feel free to project your own wishes, beliefs, and dreams onto what you see. Look beyond, then look within. Cast an image, then reel it in. Shows nightly, weather permitting. Votive candles provided for consecration purposes.
URL: www.playahearth.com

A large magical bell, blessed and inspired by the Goddess herself, awaits you on the playa. Find the bell and pray, meditate, laugh, cry, wish, and hope. When you are ready, ring the bell to release your intent to the Creator. Be careful what you pray for as it will come to pass.

Mystics and Seekers of wisdom have travelled the globe in search of enlightenment. You on the other hand have arrived! If you are a believer then, rest assured, the Dispenser has the answer you have sought most. Present your question to the universe, then spin the handle for your own personal, divine, insightful and inspiring answer.

LOOK for the lighted tenselite that marks the divination area. SPREAD the Giant Tarot Cards to see their images of the human condition in the realm of science. SIT AND SPIN on the mystic pointer-on-wheels to see what the Giant Ouija Board has to say to you. The viewing hole in the center of the pointer eerily illuminates the selected character on the board. RECORD your readings into the books provided, and come by at the event’s end to take a card home with you.

A prayer wheel spins around sending our prayers out to whatever Deity one holds close to their own spirituality. Turning a prayer wheel brings purification and causes one to ponder the path to enlightenment. If you search out and find the Wheel of the Collective, I encourage you to add your own prayers to the wheel, next to those you will find there.

Participants may confess their sins and profess their wisdom in this wooden structure based on the Golden Ratio and painted by Philadelphia artists using Sacred Geometry.

Thirty foot tall images of saffron robed monks painted on sails are arrayed around a mandala/labyrinth. The beauty of pilgrimage is to create one’s own journey through a process of slowing down, lingering, savoring and absorbing. Monks & Mandala will provide a place of spiritual respite and encourage the participants of Burning Man to consider their relationship to and interactions with the desert landscape of sky and sand.

URL: www.revbilly.com

Glowing rice paper cylinders of calligraphy spin out their messages in the playa winds.

The great Spanish galleon, La Contessa, returns to the playa as a moving venue for the recitation of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Dr. Hal Robbins recites the poem and images of Gustave Dore are projected on the sails as the Xtra Action Marching Band plays.

Four upright wooden rings are positioned at the cardinal directions, connected by a series of vertical wooden poles that form a complete circle. The rings act as portals collecting and focusing the energies of the earth as well as those of celestial bodies such as the sun and the moon. This piece acts as a bridge between heaven and earth where the energies of both are collected and held. Those who enter will be able to receive or transmit the power held within the space. The piece combines the traditions of ancient Druidic earth worship and modern spirituality to create a stage for a new form of sacred experience.

Select your brand of Truth at this spiritual vending machine.

Indra is the Hindu god of Space. It is said that a net extends through all of reality, at each point in the net is a jewel that is so highly polished that it reflects all of the other jewels in its faces infinitely, like a hologram. In this holographic universe we are the jewels in the net. We are asking burners to bring some aspect of who they are to leave in the net, on the back wall of the cafe, to symbolize themselves as a jewel in the net.

Students in Ghent, Belgium have made seven hand-printed silk saris in each of the colors of the seven chakras to adorn the cafe. Annique, the teacher, collaborated via the internet with Team Bollywood to create this project, and will travel from Belgium to install the saris.

URL: www.dragondebris.com/burning_man_2003/Peace_Saris/

Evohe!!! Rolling to you in Black Rock City since 1997, from the home of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, The Mystick Krewe of Satyrs present our Satyrs’ Bacchanal, a tribute to the ancient rites associated with Dionysus and Bacchus. Our float features a giant Golden Ram to be sacrificed by entranced Maenads on Friday at Midnight; we invite everyone to witness the spectacle and drink of the blood to feel the empowerment of Dionysus. Join us on parade with vintage 1800’s Flambeaux torches, fire breathers, the Extra Action Marching Band of Oakland and the March Forth 3/4 Marching Band of Portland.

Out in the Wholly Other, intrepid adventurers in need of comfort will find a
serene place to consider the sources of comfort for our daily lives. The
bedside journal offers up images representing some old faithfuls: sex,
religion, food, money, love, knowledge, hope, shopping, and spirituality.

If you close your eyes and imagine a shrine, what would it be? A Buddhist temple? Tibetan prayer flags? A pristine place in the wilderness? And then, what would it mean to have a shrine of the mind?

A luminous, 40 square foot fluttery white pagoda curves upwards into the night sky, announcing itself as the only shrine in the world dedicated to the lost and highly transcendent rite of slow dancing. Offering a nearly extinct form of interactive worship to its glamorous and amorous supplicants, the Slowdance Pagoda exists solely for the greater glory of slow dancing and is rumored to bring on an irreversible state of nirvana… but only to those who pay homage in the form of a slow dance. In dusty ball gowns and tarnished tiaras, pretty pilgrims commune with the sacred and profane as they rock and sway to the gentle music of days gone by.

The Sonic Runway is a corridor of lights that visualizes waves of sound emanating from a dance floor far into the playa. Beats from the speakers trigger flashes of colored light that race down the corridor at the speed of sound. Participants within the Sonic Runway will enter a realm beyond faith and belief – the miracle and beauty of scientific truths. These truths are philosophically engaging and require introspection about our place in the universe and in time relative to all that we each perceive.

This homage to the North American bison is a metaphor for the clash between colonialist and native ways of being. Bison and Native identity are interconnected; they can also be energy or matter. The matter which once existed in the form of the North American bison was released into the universe during the historical slaughter, and this energy continues to exist in and around us, ever evolving.

Enigmatic in nature, the Spheres consists of three large, highly illuminated rings moving in a fashion both hypnotic and surreal. The combination of lights, speed, and types of motion creates a stunning visual effect designed to instill a sense of wonder. We have used mechanical and electronic means to reproduce a large gyroscope that in its initial conception was intended to mimic the spinning movements of fire performers. This machine is to be raised eighteen feet above the ground to crown a steel structure faced with stone and built in the style of a gothic temple. The Spheres offer an opportunity to unhinge the perceptual portals and step inside a place where reality manifests in the convergence of beliefs.

What is enlightenment? What does it have to do with light? What did it mean for the Creator to say “Let there be light?” Why is the devil’s name “Lucifer”, the light-bearer? The glory of God is shown in religious paintings by halos and light glowing around its image. Light is a primal aspect of belief and faith, a fundamental component of religious imagery and of the images of gods themselves. Out on the playa at night you come upon a small chapel, seemingly made of light. The lights vary in intensity, color, and pattern in response to your presence. You approach the central light altar, and you can see the eye of God, and connect it to your heart.

It is not far, by bird, from image to man, it is not far, by image, from man to what he sees, from the nature of things real, to the nature of things imagined. Their value is the same. Matter: movement, need and desire are inseparable. -Paul Eluard

Utilizing classic trompe l’oeil techniques and incorporating elements of the Playa and surroundings, Nicolas will create a visual “portal” to another dimension. His mural will be located in front of Media Mecca.

The Tear Drop is a 40′ tall kinetic sculpture which represents the sorrow of loss. On Wednesday night the tear drop will be transformed into a flaming Lotus Blossom. A dance performance will accompany the blossoming of life which the flower represents. On subsequent nights a fire will burn in the center of the Lotus and people will be able to sit in the inner petals and enjoy the fire.

URL: www.meltguns.com

Out on the playa a structure recognizable yet unbelievable exists in a Colossal scale – a house of cards designed to encourage serendipitous interaction by those who approach and enter the temple of chance. Visit the four exquisitely appointed playing rooms on the ground level and explore the metaphysical meaning of each suit of cards. Sit in on an impromptu card game or grab one of the commemorative decks and start your own game. Visit the central Hall of Royals and go to the second level where you can give or receive a tarot reading in one of the four rooms of the Jokers. Step out on the second level observation deck or climb the stair tower to the third level deck and view the surreal sites of the playa and city. You’ve really nothing to lose; perhaps the odds will be in your favor.

Thou shalt create images in My name, and the images shall flicker. Thou shalt listen to the Word and spread it as Entertainment.

COME SANCTIFY YOUR CANINE FRIENDS THAT LOVE YOU LIKE NO OTHER! I MEAN — LIKE “ONE” OTHER: “Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG.” Pictures of dogs past or current should be brought to the Temple for enshrinement.

The Temple of Gravity will address a vital need: the need to worship something we know is true and one of the few constants in our ever-changing lives. The attraction of two or more bodies, any-body, is fundamental. In this godless era it is now time to worship GRAVITY. Come to the temple, think weighty thoughts and speak of heavy deeds. GRAVITY will always let you down.
URL: www.templeofgravity.com

David’s fourth temple on the playa is the evolution of an idea that began three years ago with the Temple of the Mind, and was followed by The Temple of Tears and last year’s Temple of Joy. An imposing multi-story temple made of densely patterned black and white paper over a cardboard and wood frame, the Temple will be a place to honor each other, the earth, our families, ancestors and communities. The temple of honor will also have space to address one’s dishonor, a place to leave it, to release it and let it go. Just as we need a place to honor those things and people we hold most high, so too we need a space to deal with those people and ideals we have dishonored, including ourselves.

, gcarver2 (at) pacbell (dot) net

The Goddess NUT invites you to explore your belief systems through symbolism within her Temple of Initial Attraction. Built upon the geometry of the octagon, those who choose to approach, circle and enter will find painted and mosaic images derived from various sources as well as the mystery within unpredictable chance meetings with other participants.
, thelastspectator (at) aol (dot) com

Sacred texts of the world are spread out on the floor of this temple, and one may express one’s own truth upon the Tome, on a podium in the center. In the end, the tome will be retrieved and the temple will burn, taking with it all the world says. The Tome will be cherished, and shared online.

Thermo Kraken, desert siren with blood-volatile liquors of solar promises captured, distilled and pressurized beyond several atmospheres, pulses under the touch of those who made her. Perhaps the ancients would recognize in her the beauty of Vulcan’s forge, the Phoenix in cyclical immolation, or Prometheus unbound, but our eyes see shapes and dreams forged in times of enervated archetypes. The Kraken’s song unfolds in ever mounting protest and ardent surrender to calefaction. With harsh euphony that shudders and careens from inchoate murmur to throaty ululation until it can take and give no more, its screaming heart erupts in a vertical orgasm of pyrrhic fury, howling defiance to absent gods while exulting in freedom and transformation.
URL: www.therm.biz

Your thirst is unbearable. Mirages appear and disappear before your eyes. Suddenly, in front of you, a faucet appears. Are you dreaming? Is this the fabled oasis?

A 53 cubic foot candle on a pentagon-shaped platform features six wicks made of dried fennel stock.

Let your imagination travel through space and time to realms which are truly beyond belief in this “observatory” that features the nighttime sky and thoughts about the stars, the cosmos, and belief. Listen to facts about our universe and about things that are beyond the range of ordinary vision.

The totem casts its multi faced gaze on the horizon.
The totem hears your prayers and casts them with the wind.
It is a divining rod for a holy fire.
Your heart will be burned pure.

The Tower Of Enlightenment will incinerate self-help books provided by the citizens of Black Rock City, who will be able to rid themselves of various junk psychology texts, diet books, and spiritual quick fix programs. They will also have the opportunity to unburden themselves of any expectations they may have about their week at Burning Man ’03. While no books will be turned away, it’s requested that people not contribute what are commonly accepted and historically recognized as sacred books, such as the Bible, Koran, Bhagavat Gita, and Torah, nor any books printed before August 6, 1945.

The night of the burn is a new moon; that moon will rest on the surface of the playa. Visit Tranquility Base, an achievement that’s beyond belief.
URL: home.comcast.net/~gigapede/mOOnshOt/

A majestic and colorful glass shrine contains a glass blowing studio where participants can undergo a ritual of trial and reward. At sunrise and sunset one may create a glass medallion, and at night glass-blowing demonstrations will showcase this form of fire art.

It appears in the night,at a distance, as an ambiguous array of glowing amorphous blobs of varying shifting shapes. As you draw closer, your mind shift into inquiry: “What is that? Is it something I’ve already seen? What will I discover?” You might say what it is that you think you’re seeing.
What is real – what you see, or what you say? Beliefs are creations of language, and the declaration “It is…” is itself a declaration of the nature of reality. In the inquiry of what is real, you will discover the source of reality. The moment you realize you are the creator you are now beyond belief.
URL: www.greatoasis.com/museum/BurningMan/BM03/VisionX.html

The voice of the people emerges from a burning bush of fire. Like flipping channels on the collective consciousness of Burning Man itself, messages both banal and profound will be mixed into a whispering, hissing Voice of Fire.
URL: www.quantalink.com/VoF.htm

An 8′ diameter horizontal prayer wheel features prayers in raised letters on its surface. One may spin the wheel by walking in it, like a hamster’s wheel, and a temporary impression of the prayer will be left on the playa surface.

Using shreds of fabric from their own clothing, participants will weave their memories and dreams into a twenty foot high web. Weavers will find shade and comfort nearby and will receive nurturing visits by goddesses from the Pantheon. On Sunday at dusk, a great procession of song, dance, and fire will emerge from the Pantheon, arriving eventually at the web, which will be ignited, releasing its essence to the universe.

URL: www.obop.org/2003/plans.htm

Get out of this tangled Web of Tears casting its shadow down to seekers to purify and cleanse one’s self and the world. Illuminated willow root and branch tears hang down to cast lacey, intricate patterns onto the playa floor. Willow Purge Tears and silk strips will allow you to write off and get rid of bad thoughts. Silk ribbon impurities will be tied and tucked into tears. Tear sacs will take flight on the backs of winged moths from the Larvae Lounge at Camp Cocoon and be deposited and burned at the Burning Man and Temple of Honor.

Propelled by the masses, the Wheels of Incantation recite the wishes, aspirations, and fantasies of the scrolls contained within. For three quarters of an eternity, the elusive Nipplese Monks have revered these relics which are thought to harness the vigor and passion of the elements. The four remaining Wheels of Incantation will be available at the cafe to carry your messages. As part of a daily pilgrimage, scrolls will be ceremonially collected and placed in a sacred chamber deep within the wheels. You are encouraged to participate by scribing on special parchment at the center camp cafe and by spinning the Wheels of Incantation as you pass by them.

Four rotating cubes suspended in a 15′ steel tripod contain mystical symbols which align according to the wind patterns to answer one’s questions.
URL: www.vibrata.addr.com

In the center of the cafe, a lush waterfull faces east and provides a site for meditation, relaxation or just having a nice lunch.

Her feet encircled by the moon, a crown of stars upon her head, arms outstretched, the Woman Fashioned by the Sun patiently waits to receive weary desert wanderers, who will receive cool water from her womb.

A 40′ tall, 86′ diameter structure made of aluminum poles and cables contains, at the top, a white light representing the truth from which all religions have developed. Halfway down to the ground in a circle 40′ in diameter are 12 symbols representing the world’s main religions, 1 symbol representing all the religions that have been forgotten, and 1 symbol representing all the religions yet to be created, in el wire.
URL: www.schardt.org/yantra

All hail the majestic ZipTie, plastic savior of the playa. The ZipTie mandala in the cafe is a tribute to the little fastener that we know and love. 55,000 fluorescent ties adorn a polyvinyl chloride armature to produce a colorful geometric pattern to help one focus and reflect.