HEARTBUST

Heartburst was created for Burning Man 2023 a festival gathering in the Black Rock Desert in Pershing County, Nevada from the architecture studio OFFICEUNTITLED. 

Heartburst inspires burners to pause, engage, and explore a deeper connection with themselves and their surroundings. 

The installation is built with hand-assembled bamboo pole scaffolding and is open on four sides.The openings frame both the famed sunrises and sunsets of Black Rock City and the huge playa beyond. 

Heartburst was created to induce physical, psychological, and community coherence and healing, thus it invites visitors to slow down, be present in their surroundings, and achieve a level of awareness.  

The bamboo is one of the most eco-friendly and fastest-growing materials available, is environmentally friendly and structurally durable materials. The bamboo utilized is not only more sustainable than other types of wood, but it is also “carbon negative.” 

Heartburst was meant to endure 75 mph wind gusts while allowing for inadvertent climbing. The design incorporated bolted connections and metal wire lashings with typical rebar wire tying equipment, as well as helical ground anchors anchored by diagonal aircraft cables and turn buckles. Each gridline or “slice” consists of up to six prefabricated. 

For installation, the bamboo was classified into three systems. The Malaysian team utilized the first to indicate the lengths of bamboo pieces and if they were structural components. The second marked the pre-made panels in order to arrange them in the overall sequence. The third approach used color coding to separate loose poles based on the height level at which they were to be put. 

This material has an intrinsic positive energy and a relaxing effect.This brings about a connection with the natural world. 

Heartburst improves Burning Man’s commitment to environmental stewardship and highlights the possibilities of producing magnificent spatial experiences without harming the world by employing bamboo in the installation’s construction. 

Photo Credit: Benny Chan