August 2012 99Fridays*: Temple of the Beast
Motivation: The temple was my first 99fridays installation. The idea originated from a video I saw of people building an inflatable fort with a box fan. Within the delineated space of the temple, I wanted to construct a powerful, eerie experience that involved food. The Christian communion ceremony, where lines between food, religion, and taboo are poignantly blurred, naturally came to mind.
I constructed a “temple” that contained black lights, creepy music, and a table holding a large platter holding a five-pound gummy bear, a knife, and a fork.
Participants were expected to climb into the temple, kneel in front of the beast, and eat a piece of it with the provided utensils.
*99Fridays is a series of homegrown events at the Media Lab aimed that exploring festival technologies, interactive arts, and ludic spaces.