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Effigy / Temple Application

Shape Our Sacred Spaces: Call for Effigy & Temple Artists!

APPLICATIONS FOR TEMPLE & EFFIGY ARE NOW OPEN
(as of Nov 4, 2025)

While our site agreement once again means no burning this year (we know, boo!), this limitation fuels our creativity! We invite you to design two pivotal pieces for our gathering: the Effigy, a symbol of our collective expression, and the Temple, a sanctuary envisioned as the true heart of our event – a sacred, reflective space for remembrance, grief, intention-setting, stillness, and emotional integration. 

We challenge you to explore innovative forms: How can these structures evoke emotion and connection without fire? How can we imbue a sense of catharsis and transformation with new mediums and approaches? If fire is off the table, what else can you set ablaze—metaphorically speaking—to spark renewal, release, and radical change?

We welcome proposals featuring light art, projection mapping, interactive elements, robotics, performance art, and any other non-combustible creative suggestions.

In an effort to give the Effigy artists more time to incorporate this year’s theme (released end of November) into their design, we will be staggering the application close dates:

  • Temple Applications close December 8th
  • Effigy Applications close December 20th

The chosen designs will be selected by January 1, giving 7 months of build time!

Material funds and directed tickets will be allocated to the selected build teams for both the Effigy and Temple projects.

For any inquiries, please reach out to [email protected].

Guidelines

  • Non-Combustible Creations: Due to property restrictions, the Effigy and Temple will be non-burn installations.
  • Unrestricted Scale: The absence of a burn means no limitations on the physical size of your Effigy or Temple submission.
  • Design & Accessibility: Must have accessible pathways, entrances, and signage. In the Temple, consideration for sensory safety.
  • Diverse Materials: Feel free to use any materials suitable for a non-burn structure.
  • Build Logistics: Beyond hammer and nails, do you need support with any part of the build? Think about power requirements, access to equipment like a zoom boom, and anything else that may bring your vision to life.
  • Conscious Departure Plan: A thorough LEAVE NO TRACE PLAN is mandatory for ALL Effigy and Temple submissions. This plan must detail:
    • The disassembly process.
    • Logistics for removal from the site (loading/unloading).
    • Post-event intentions: personal storage for reuse, or disassembly for material donation to artists/art spaces.
  • For the Effigy, there is a pre-“burn” LED “fire show” that will require liaising with our Effigy Performance lead.
  • For the Temple, there is both an opening and closing ritual that will involve liaising with the Temple Guardians – how much or little the Temple Lead wants be involved or guide this should be part of the application.

Submission

Kindly review all necessary information before proceeding with your Effigy or Temple application. The Application Form is now LIVE, scroll down to access the form.

Questions can be directed to the What If Foundations Producer, Jaimee Bobaimee: [email protected]

  • List any known individuals who will be assisting /co leading with you, and a bio of work you've done either together or in the past. How many crew members to you have? Do you have enough crew for this or will you need some What If volunteers? Do you and/or your crew have experience building large scale art?
  • Bonus points for outlining how participants will interact with it and what emotional or spiritual concepts the space supports. For the Temple, please outline how the Temple will be maintained as a quiet, reverent environment. Also, please state how much or how little you would like to be involved in developing the Temple opening and closing ceremonies, working with the Temple Guardians. Do you have a vision you want to execute, or are you just there for the build? Let us know :)
  • Our new site has strict no fire restrictions that prevent us from burning the Effigy or Temple this year. That being said, we are asking out Effigy & Temple applicants to imagine a burn ritual for their submission that does not involve fire. Ideally, this is something that evokes a sense of catharsis; a transformation of states; something with a clear before & after. Bonus points if it's something that emulates fire or participants can share in doing. Further considerations for the Temple - it should be a community experience and involve all or most of the Temple team (including Temple Guardians) and should never be one person's public speech. It should provide an experience (performance) and interactive portion (ritual) that harmonizes the Temple purpose with the actual physical structure and where the community is at in that moment. It should be spiritually ambiguous so it is accessible to all and excludes none.
  • Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, gif, png, mp4, pdf, heic, tiff, eps, svg, Max. file size: 29 MB, Max. files: 5.
      Upload up to 5 concept pictures. Please limit it to a common image format.
    • Include materials needed, power requirements, zoom boom access etc - any such pertinent details.
    • What are your power needs both during and after build?
    • What potential risks are posed both during the build (Will you have a first aid kit? Does anyone on your build team have first aid?), and after it's live? (Is the finished structure something participants can climb on, and therefore fall from and if so how will you mitigate that?)
    • This includes a tear down plan, and a plan for loading/unloading. What are your thoughts for the structure post event, i.e. will you personally store and reuse? Can the piece be disassembled and materials donated to fellow artists and/or art build spaces?
    • If you are uploading budget docs, please state so in here, and use the upload feature below. Links to Google Spreadsheets are also welcome, just please be sure that they are properly setup to share with others.
    • Describe the size/weight of the piece and how it will need to be transported.
    • Drop files here or
      Accepted file types: xlsx, xls, ods, odt, doc, docx, pages, numbers, Max. file size: 29 MB, Max. files: 3.

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