Burning the Temple
"The Offering" was an investigation into the architecture of fire and spirit. The temple space within the AfrikaBurn is dedicated to the process of transfiguration, to life and to love. It is for those that need sacred solace, for those that search for a sacred reverence in the revelry of the festival and in the emerging nature of its growing culture. In my design for the sculpture I searched for the elementary forms of other temples throughout history combining masculine and feminine lines. The triangular apex emerged as a physical and symbolic theme. This year would have been the third time I've designed and project led the build with my brilliant crew. There were some pieces of steel that were placed within the sculpture to be burn scarred, I overlayed the marks on the photos to give them the texture and feeling of the work.
more info: www.firesculpture.net
The Offering, Wood and Steel, 17m x 6m x 7m, Fire Sculpture, AfrikaBurn 2014, Simon Max Bannister
Burnt on Sunday 4 May 2014, 7.30pm
The "San Clan" glyph, plasma cut mild steel, served as the totem for the temple's shrine. Painted by the fire scarring process it endures to symbolise community, many heads, many legs running in the same direction.
