The Conexus Cathedral 2006 Grant Proposal

 

Please direct questions to

 

Dan Dunkle,

Conexus Cathedral Liaison to Burning Man

415-305-9275

djdunkle@aol.com

or

Gunther Jones,

Conexus Cathedral and Village  Co-lead

415-225-7095

gunther@blyssabyss.net

 

Introduction

 

“Great buildings are outward expressions of the human spirit -- its aspirations, hopes and fears. The ancient initiatory caves of Lascaux, the mysterious circle of Stonehenge, the vast pyramids of Giza, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling -- all speak of the human urge to transcend the mundane and commune with the divine. In the western world, this desire is most comprehensively expressed in the cathedral -- that soaring multifaceted shrine of carved stone and stained glass that awes as much as it inspires. “

-- Michael Lampen, Grace Cathedral Archivist

 

Since ancient times humans have gathered together in worship, seeking to touch spirit, to feel inspired, to receive the divine. In their era, the great Gothic cathedrals were ultimate symbols of hope and fear in the future -- the hope of a New Jerusalem that awaited the faithful, and the fear of eternal punishment and Armageddon. In the history of our Western Culture, the Cathedral remains as a timeless embodiment of place for spiritual gatherings and primary religious experiences.

 

Also in the past were countless injustices, persecutions and violence done in the name of faith, yet every faith at heart seems to abhor these very actions. Intolerance of non-believers, or other-believers, has been a common denominator in most of these sad histories, and perhaps the singular fallacy of there being but one true path to spirit, has most severely limited humanity to date.

 

Our vision of Cathedral, as well as for faith and worship of the future, retains the qualities of communion with the divine, but we envision it also as a place for any to worship as they please, side by side in harmony, mutual respect and tolerance, without dogmatic conflict or even need for dogma. Our Cathedral is the physical  expression of this hope, and an opportunity for a living practice of these beliefs. The Cathedral “aspires to inspire” all BRC residents to participate and interact with it – to generate ritual, ceremony, and art; to dance, celebrate, and surrender; to experience joy, communion, and spirit, to play together in laughter, fun, and silliness.

 

By day, the Cathedral is a place of simplicity and seemliness, creating sanctuary and refuge for the BRC community.  Rising over 50 feet above the desert floor, with correspondingly large dimensions of 100' by 200' in plan, the Conexus Cathedral is roughly ½ the scale of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Its soaring columns, flying buttresses, and vaulted ceilings will be complimented by beautiful art on the ground and in the air.

 

By night, the Cathedral glows on the playa with color, magic, and beauty; creating an amazing display of lighting and futuristic sacred visual art, whose images change and shift, reflecting individual and worldwide spiritual traditions.

 

The Cathedral will host a variety of interactivity, including interdenominational and inclusive worship and ceremony, weddings, blessings, and all other forms of observance and celebrations, from any faiths whatsoever, widespread or personal, or no faith at all.  The space will serve as a place for weddings, acknowledgments, blessings, processions, group gatherings, and meditation.  We will also invite other artists to add their sacred work to the display areas we provide.

 

We emphasize the role of the Cathedral as place for planned and spontaneous ceremony, engaging groups of people together, vs. the Temple's role as place of more individual reverence and quiet reflection, and feel that the two structures will support and compliment each other as significant poles along Black Rock City’s spiritual axis.

 

 

Design, Construction, and Materials:

 

Representative of a gothic cathedral, but adapted to modern needs and desert realities, our Cathedral includes high columns, flying buttresses, a large central nave, an intimate apse, open vaulting above, and gothic peaked arches throughout. The unique architecture and scale of the project imposes major constraints in the design. We have solved the issues of weight, wind load, and fabrication, using technology borrowed in part from the renowned modern Japanese architect Shigeru Ban:  http://www.shigerubanarchitects.com

 

Using column members of 20' construction grade cardboard tubing, 18 " in diameter and rated to bear in-axis loads of over 1/2 ton each, we will raise the main 40' structural columns and associated 20' flying buttress columns. Ground anchored guy lines will be used throughout to provide a strong tension member solution, and the tops of the columns will be connected by interleaved laminate wooden vault arches spanning 30' each. We are also applying a new technology for representing solid stone walls, using parallel rows of hanging strings to provide the appearance of solidity, while creating negligible wind resistance.

 

Model photos and to-scale design renderings follow.  A physical three-dimensional model will be delivered to you in parallel with the submission of this application, and a VectorWorks CAD rendering and fly-through is also provided with the online version if this application:  http://www.conexusvillage.org/art.html .

Illustration

 

 

 

Model Photos

 

 

 

 

Additional photos are located at:  http://conexusvillage.org/gallery/v/model2/

 

Primary Design Renderings (detail pages are at the end of this document)

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAD

 

 

Additional CAD drawings are located at: http://conexusvillage.org/gallery/v/plans

 

 

Additional Design Details

 

·         The main central nave is the largest area and will be 30 feet wide, 100 feet long, and 40 feet tall at the top of the columns.

·         At the end of the nave will be a large, slightly elevated platform, with a simple unadorned altar.

·         Beyond that will be the more intimate semi-circular apse area with a smaller altar set inside.

·         Around the nave will be a row of 20' columns that form the two galleries.

·         All of the columns will be secured to the ground with steel guy wires, most of which will be covered with fabric to represent the flying buttresses.

 

The structure is representational and will be mostly open to the sky, and the web work of intersecting ceiling vaults will provide a sense of enclosure. At the base of the main columns will be simple benches for people to sit and enjoy the surroundings. Pieces from Christopher Schardt's Yantra installation (debuted BM 2003); will be recycled to bring together the symbols of 14 world religions.  http://www.schardt.org/yantra/

 

The main structure will be white for an uplifting daytime presence, as well as to capture the 18,000 watts of color-changing light at night; including a large 15’ suspended circular surface for projecting the rose window mandala. During the day the structure will display long colorful banners from the main columns, while the overhead sunlight creates complex shadows as it passes through the vaults. Each morning the rising sun will shine through the large colored rose window, casting brilliant rays of color across the nave.

 

Cable Rigging and Anchors

 

·         1/4" galvanized steel cable, swaged into correct lengths prior to arrival

·         Single heavy bolt on each column top plate, cable screwed on.

·         Auger-type ground anchors

·         Turnbuckles at each anchorpoint, attached with shackles for easy removal from anchor

 

Vault Arches

·         Laminate two or more layers of thin veneer, string and light

·         Contact-adhesive layers over forms to hold the arch shape

·         Finished arches nest for easy transport

·         Attach peak of each arch to cross-cables for stability

 

Column Top Pinnacles

·         6' high mated plywood

 

Fabric

·         Tensioned white spandex, 4-way stretch

 

Raised Altar Platform

·         One 8'x16' x 3' high platform at the Apse end

·         Standard post and beam construction, with 3/4" plywood flooring

·         Secured enclosure for power distribution, lighting controllers and DVD players

 

Power

·         Diesel Generator placed 50' away in a decorated and secure enclosure

·         Off-site diesel fuel storage

·         Power distribution cables and all wiring in 8" deep trenches

·         Main Generator will be a multi-quip 45kw or greater, running single phase 120v, providing  26kw.

·         Two primary electrical runs of 200 feet, heavy gauge, 3 spider boxes per run and one shorter 100 foot run, heavy gauge, with 1 spider box.

·         Estimated fuel: 2.7 gallons an hour * 10 hours a night * 8 nights ( Sunday to Sunday ) = 216 gallons diesel

 

Lighting and Visual Design – Key Features

 

·         Color-controllable light fixtures  that can operate in DMX or standalone mode, 900 watts.

·         Automated 512 channel DMX controller to create lighting scenes, for different overall color theme for each night, and slow changes over time.

·         Cases and protective boxes for all fixtures.

·         Air-filtered projector enclosures.

·         3000 lumens projected onto a 15' diameter round "Rose Window" screen

·         Air-filtered enclosed looping DVD player for interactive visuals, including Hi-Def.

·         Pre-designed morphing Rose Window visuals – an example follows:

 

 

 

Safety

 

We expect high visibility and high usage of our piece, and plan comprehensive safety actions including the following:

 

·         Structure designed to 2X maximum expected static wind loads, with prototype testing to verify failure loads and modalities.

·         24/7 docents on sight to observe and advise participants regarding information and safety. Liaison with Black Rock Rangers regarding their concerns and advice.

·         All structural tubing coated with flame and water retardants.

·         All electrical cables trenched.

·         All guy lines clearly marked for day and night visibility, with day / night visible flagging and night lighting.

·         Bikes and cars to be kept outside the structure, bike racks provided and no-drive areas clearly designated.

·         Diesel Fuel stored remotely in accordance with BM fuel storage requirements.

·         Generator housed at least 50’ from main structure.

·         4 fire extinguishers in nave ( there will be no fire permitted inside )

 

Cleanup Plan

 

Conexus Theme Camp 2003 had an excellent strike and cleanup effort, leaving the Conexus grounds clean and the playa unscarred, and we intend to continue this level of responsibility. The Cathedral project will build mainly from burnable and reusable materials, and BRC burn platforms will be used for the bulk of our disposal. Since most of the burnable materials are hollow and do not have much mass, this project will leave relatively little residual material on the platforms.

 

Items such as trash and other non-burnable items will be transported and disposed off-site. Members of Conexus Village will perform daily cleanup and MOOP sweep / removal in the early morning. There is a desire to recycle as much of the lumber as possible, but the feasibility of this extra effort needs further research.

The following items will have their own storage containers for easy breakdown and transport:

·         Lighting and wiring cables

·         Fabric

·         Steel cables, connectors, anchors

 

 

Detailed Strike Schedule

 

Sunday September 3

·         Afternoon/Evening

o        Go through cathedral site and remove all MOOP.

o        Ensure trucks are cleaned up and ready to move.

Monday September 4

·         6 a.m.

o        Shutdown generator and prepare for transport.

·         10: a.m.

o        Position trucks

o        Break down and store lighting

·         11:30

o        Begin loosen side cables

·         Noon

o        Disconnect end cables

o        Clear area footprint of all personnel

o        Topple structural columns, using safety supervision

o        Remove cables, anchors, fabrics

o        Chain saw columns and vaults for transport and disposal

o        Separate out and dispose of burnables

o        Pack remaining materials onto trucks

o        Attach and tow generator

o        Load remaining trash from camp

·         3 p.m.

o        Final sweep for MOOP

·         4 p.m.

o        Site Cleared

o        Checkout with Artery