Promenade to Temple of Honor by David Best
BURNING MAN 2003
“Now that we have seen each other”
Said the unicorn “If you believe in me,
I’ll believe in you”
Lewis Carroll
(From a sign at the entrance of Burning Man 2003)
A storm in early July had created a layer of mud, which transformed into a fragile carpet when it dried. Stepping and driving on this surface liberated the dust below, so that theconditions became especially dusty around the playa this time around.
THE THEME
The theme for the 2002 edition was BEYOND BELIEF. The organizers claimed the theme would “occupy that ambiguous territory that lies between reverence and ridicule, faith and belief, the absurd and the stunningly sublime.”
This year, temples, icons and religious and spiritual symbols and icons covered the playa. The Man crowned a pyramidal temple which resembled an Aztec or Mayan monument.
Origin, a piece by Russell Wilcox, which consisted of a fourfold laser beam pattern emitted from the pyramid under The Man, transformed the night-time version of the structure into a unique and spectacular vision.
The year’s most existential pun was a phone booth set on the Playa, which had a connection to someone who claimed to be God.
HIGHLIGHTS
Words participants have used to refer to the art of BN 2003 include ‘Celebration’ ‘Creativity’ ‘Dance club’ ‘Satire’ ‘Honor’ ‘Pagan’ and ‘ 21st century Psychedelic.’
There was a Greek temple, with live dancers in lieu of statues. As far as art playing with lights, there was a mobile sculpture projected ultraviolet lights from two faces looking out to either side, one looking calm and the other evoking an angry warrior god.
David Best kept outdoing himself with his magnificent temple creations. The Temple of Honor was a combination of a Russian orthodox cathedral, a Taj Mahal-style Indian temple, and a medieval castle with tall spires. People brought offerings and photos to honor their loved ones who had passed away, and they spoke in hushed voices, acting like people usually do in religious temples.
WHAT WAS DIFFERENT?
The temple and the Burning Man’s observation deck were accessible to everyone, without any special requirement.The number of women who chose to go topless doubled compared to the previous year, amounting to about 15%.
