EXHIBITION PREVIEW: Temple - A photographic celebration - by Matthew Andrews

Following on from the huge success of David Best’s Temple Project which happened in March of this year, Artichoke who helped fund and organise the event are celebrating with a photographic exhibition which will be held in Hillcrest House this month.

The photographs were taken by Matthew Andrews who works regularly with Artichoke, and who was also tasked with documenting the entire event.

Artichoke brought ‘Burning Man’ legend David Best and his crew to Derry to create a structure that would tower over the city and with help from the people of Derry who volunteered their services, with people learning new skills, a 75ft high structure was created.

The most impressive piece of sculpture Derry has ever seen was created and just like in Nevada, it was set alight.

During the week it was open to the public, more than 60,000 people visited and left behind personal messages, mementoes and symbols of peace in The Temple, while a further 15,000 people watched as the wooden structure was burned to the ground on the night of 21st March.

The exhibition will be based in Hillcrest House. Geraldine O’Donnell, community representative at the Hillcrest Trust said: “following on from the success of Temple, we at Hillcrest Trust are delighted that Artichoke are once again coming back to the Top of the Hill for the opening of the photographic exhibition by Matthew Andrews.

The exhibition will showcase the extraordinary event that was held in our community and celebrates the success of the Temple project. We look forward to residents and some of the many visitors who came to visit Temple returning to relive their experience.”

While Artichoke Director Helen Marriage agrees “the Temple project set out to create a shared space that welcomed everyone. And it succeeded. We were overwhelmed by how the people of this city responded to Temple and made it their own with their contributions.

Standing on Top of the Hill on the night of the burn, it struck me that together with the local community we could make something really special here, something permanent, that would continue this process of transformation that Temple began. It’s something I want to start to explore with people here.”

You can see the exhibition from Thursday 6th August and it will run until Friday 14th August at Hillcrest House at Jasmine Court.

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