The annual Burning Man festival, which takes place in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, has revealed the first images of the year’s temple. The Temple of the Heart is an upside-down desert flower with a stem reaching up into the sky. The all-wood design—more than sixteen hundred panels covered by lace-like patterns inspired by flower motifs—was created by Ela Madej and Reed Finlay. The temple is described as a place for mediation and a space where people can come together, both before and after completion.
Reed Finlay says, “For me, this project has revealed the deepest potential of architecture; to be a vehicle for healing and a way to bring us together as humans.” According to the designer’s concept, the central column is not just a structural element but also a significant detail that has a special symbolic meaning. Guests from all over the world will be invited to the Heart Chamber, a hall in the core of the temple, where they can adorn the column with their own flowers, making the floral lace construction blossom into a desert bloom.
All renders designed by ELA MADEJ and REED FINLAY
