LONDONDERRY.- Temple is the vision of Burning Man artist David Best, produced by Artichoke and supported by Arts Council of Northern Ireland and a raft of partners, sponsors and individual donors.

This extraordinary edifice will be visible across the city and will be open to the public and free to visit for one week from 14th-20th March.

Temple will be burned to the ground in a special ceremony on the evening of Saturday 21st March.

The temple burn will be ticketed. Tickets are available in advance from Friday 27th February from the Millennium Forum, in person, online or by phone.

Temple is Best’s first major art project outside the US. It is a radical cross-community arts project that aims to demonstrate the transformative power of the arts. It will be built and raised by more than 100 individuals drawn from communities across the city, working together with Best and his American crew.

Temple will acknowledge the strong tradition of bonfire burning in Northern Ireland, creating a powerful moment that will transform perceptions and create a spirit of cross-community collaboration.

David Best was born in California in 1945, where he continues to live and work. He trained in sculpture at the San Francisco Institute of Art and his work includes sculpture and collage, using found objects to embellish cast porcelain figures and sculptural works made from the skeletons of old cars.

Collaboration is central to Best’s work. Since 2000, he has been building soaring, ornately carved Temples at Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. The intricate structures are made from recycled wood and each is built with the help of hundreds of volunteers. The Temples have taken on a spiritual significance as spaces for remembrance and forgiving. They are ritually burnt to the ground at the end of the event, along with the personal messages, mementos and offerings left inside by participants.

Best has constructed eight temples at Burning Man including the Temple of the Mind (2000), Temple of Tears (2001), Temple of Joy (2002) and Temple of Stars (2004), which was a quarter of a mile long and almost 120ft high, and Temple of Forgiveness (2007). He returned to Burning Man in 2012 to design and coordinate the building of Temple of Juno, and in 2014, Best and his crew constructed the Temple of Grace.

Best is currently working on a number of permanent projects including the rebuilding of the Hayes Green Temple in San Francisco and designing a new entrance to Sacramento Train Station.

For more information please visit http://www.templederry-londonderry.com