Temple of Flux

Temple of Flux was Burning Man's official temple for 2010 — the Metropolis theme year — commissioned by Burning Man and designed by Jessica Hobbs, Rebecca Anders, and Peter Kimelman of the Flux Foundation. It was the first non-traditional temple design in Burning Man history.

Drawing from the canyonlands of the American Southwest, the structure rose from the Black Rock Desert floor as five massive double-curved walls — smooth, dune-like forms 190 feet long, 110 feet wide, and 40 feet tall. Built from wood and mild steel, the walls stood in an overlapping linear layout, creating a series of canyon-like passages and cave-like spaces that opened from all sides. Oriented to the arc of the sun and moon, angled fissures in the wall faces channeled changing light throughout the day. At night, illuminated from within, the structure shifted — what looked like earth and stone became burning embers, shadows dancing across the surfaces. The Temple of Flux burned at the close of the event, as all Burning Man temples do.