Best develops elaborate wooden temples with volunteer crews and participating communities. His installations provide spaces for reflection and remembrance at Burning Man and in other public settings.
Saves on this device.Already working on a project?Adds directly to your existing saved project and keeps its brief intact.
Independent directory profile. Big Art Partners does not claim to represent this artist.
monumental installation, wood sculpture, participatory art
Based in
Petaluma, California, United States
Profile
individual
Project participation
Not documented; confirm with the artist, studio or estate.
Research notes for project planning
What the project record tells us
Museum installation · Washington, DC
Temple: participatory remembrance in a museum
The Smithsonian documents David Best’s Temple at the Renwick Gallery in 2018. Its account connects his intricate wooden structures with spaces for reflection and inscriptions left by participants. For a cultural institution, the precedent raises questions about how audience contributions become part of the work and how they are cared for.
How would participants contribute, and what would happen to their messages at the end of the exhibition?
Big Art Partners planning prompt
Participatory construction · public spaces
Community participation is part of the production model
The museum’s account describes Best building temporary temples outside Burning Man since 2005, with projects in the United States, Ireland and Nepal. A core Temple Crew works with volunteers from each host community. This is evidence of a collaborative practice; it does not mean any past temple survives for relocation.
Save this reference to your shortlist while you explore. Review your selection, then carry the references you choose into a commissioning brief for your site, audience, timing and open questions.
Your shortlist is saved on this device. Saving a reference does not contact the artist or reserve a work. Participation, availability, price and site suitability need confirmation.
