Client: Black Rock City LLC (Burning Man)
Location: Black Rock City, Nevada, U.S.A.
Dates: 31st August – 7th September 2015
Description: The Arbour is a large-scale installation that was constructed at the Burning Man event, 2015.
The Arbour creates the illusion of forest as cathedral. Its soaring ribs are intended to draw our gaze heavenwards and uplift the soul. Burners are transformed from spectators to participants, not an audience but a congregation. They respond spontaneously to the architecture by creating their own unique rituals and personal ceremonies in the shaded heart of this parametric forest.
Emerging from the continued study of the geometry of sacred architecture, this artwork was inspired by the dendritic forms of medieval vaulting. Medieval architects used the arched geometry of ribs and vaulted ceilings to achieve a soaring lightness and elevate the spirit; the architecture had a spiritual function. Though secular, the Arbour seeks to replicate this experience.
