Architecture and Design Obsession
2024 Burning Man Temple Design Brings a Message of Unity and Hope to the Playa
This year’s Burning Man Festival is on the horizon, and the organization has just revealed the design for 2024’s Black Rock City Temple. As the centerpiece of the festival, taking the lead on the design is an enormous honor. Caroline Ghosn, also known as Glitter Kitty, is taking the helm on this year’s design, which is titled Temple of Together.
For Ghosn, who attended her first Burning Man in 2014, the design unites the powerful emotions she has experienced firsthand at Black Rock City. Unity, community, and respect are themes central to the design and are immediately evident in the large mesh set of praying hands that sit at one entrance.
The stunning design, which includes a fenced courtyard, gives a nod to different architectural styles. Neo-gothic arches repeat throughout the Temple, and the symmetry of Art Deco design is also ever-present. The cladding is an homage to the wooden Khaizaran chair Ghosn sat on as a child as she dreamed of being an artist. Its woven texture will allow light to penetrate into the Temple, unifying those inside under its warm glow.
The woven cladding also serves a practical purpose, as it will allow for the use of sustainable materials. Volunteers, who each year come together to raise the Temple, will also participate in the weaving process. Therefore, when the Temple of Together is erected, it will truly be a community project.
Ghosn’s role as lead artist comes after her 2022 Disturb My Slumber installation, which was one of that year’s burns. She is now making history as the first female Temple lead artist and the first BIPOC Temple lead artist. She also plans to break more barriers by pushing for her Temple to be the most environmentally sustainable design in the history of Burning Man. To that end, she has woven sustainable practices into the proposal and even consulted with past Temple lead artists on how to source the most sustainable materials.
Now that the design has been revealed, Ghosn will be assembling an expert team, as well as volunteers, to make her vision come to life in time for the big event.
Burning Man has revealed the design for its 2024 Black Rock City Temple.
Artist Caroline Ghosn is making history as the first female and first BIPOC lead artist for the iconic Temple.
She hopes to make her Temple of Together the most sustainable Temple ever created.
Take a walk through the incredible design for the 2024 Burning Man Temple.
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