MI
GUEL
ARRA
IZ

+

Temple of the Deep

Client: Burning Man

Date: 16/03/2025

Burning Man Temple 2025

Temple of the Deep is the 2025 Temple at Burning Man, designed by Spanish architect Miguel Arraiz García. Conceived as a monumental yet fragile structure, the Temple embodies the tension between strength and vulnerability, drawing inspiration from the volcanic rocks of the Black Rock Desert.

While its form is inspired by kintsugi—the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold—Temple of the Deep is not kintsugi in itself. It only becomes so in its final moment, when the cracks and fractures are filled with the light of fire during the burn. In that instant, the Temple achieves a fleeting wholeness, only to dissolve again into ashes, closing the cycle of fragility, healing, and impermanence.

The Temple features seven entrances, each representing a stage of grief, leading participants into a central agora surrounded by intimate chapels. This layout offers both collective gathering and personal spaces for reflection, mourning, and remembrance.

As in every edition of Burning Man, the Temple serves as a non-denominational sanctuary where participants leave offerings, letters, and memories of those they have lost. Its silent burning marks a powerful ritual of release, transforming grief into a shared act of catharsis.

Through this project, Arraiz bridges his Mediterranean heritage and the global Burning Man community, creating a space where fragility, resilience, and radical acceptance coexist.

At its core, Temple of the Deep is autobiographical. It stands as a massive black rock — split apart yet enduring. Like a heart shattered into a thousand pieces, it bears visible scars — reminders of the pain that forged resilience. These scars are not flaws; they are the marks of healing, proof that even in fragmentation, we can find strength and wholeness.

-

Temple of the Deep

Temple of the Deep

Client: Burning Man

Date: 16/03/2025

Burning Man Temple 2025

Temple of the Deep is the 2025 Temple at Burning Man, designed by Spanish architect Miguel Arraiz García. Conceived as a monumental yet fragile structure, the Temple embodies the tension between strength and vulnerability, drawing inspiration from the volcanic rocks of the Black Rock Desert.

While its form is inspired by kintsugi—the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold—Temple of the Deep is not kintsugi in itself. It only becomes so in its final moment, when the cracks and fractures are filled with the light of fire during the burn. In that instant, the Temple achieves a fleeting wholeness, only to dissolve again into ashes, closing the cycle of fragility, healing, and impermanence.

The Temple features seven entrances, each representing a stage of grief, leading participants into a central agora surrounded by intimate chapels. This layout offers both collective gathering and personal spaces for reflection, mourning, and remembrance.

As in every edition of Burning Man, the Temple serves as a non-denominational sanctuary where participants leave offerings, letters, and memories of those they have lost. Its silent burning marks a powerful ritual of release, transforming grief into a shared act of catharsis.

Through this project, Arraiz bridges his Mediterranean heritage and the global Burning Man community, creating a space where fragility, resilience, and radical acceptance coexist.

At its core, Temple of the Deep is autobiographical. It stands as a massive black rock — split apart yet enduring. Like a heart shattered into a thousand pieces, it bears visible scars — reminders of the pain that forged resilience. These scars are not flaws; they are the marks of healing, proof that even in fragmentation, we can find strength and wholeness.