Guidelines for Engulf Temple Submissions and Temple Build Lead Proposal

Due date: September 16th!

Engulf’s temple is along with the effigy one of the central pieces of the event; the Saturday night temple burn precedes the effigy burn and represents a solemn event . The community shares in creating the temple and imbuing it with meaning and we all share in its transformation by fire. The temple is designed and built by a hard-working crew of artists and volunteers, and we accept submissions from anyone in the Engulf community.

You will lead your team and design the temple, you are also responsible for the creation and construction of the temple, which represents emotional release and healing through its ceremonial fire. Temple artists are expected play a big role in this and in team building and volunteer recruitment.

Temple 2023 submissions due September 16th.

Process

Selection Panel
Submission will be reviewed and the temple will be chosen by the Engulf Board, where the Engulf Board has the power to grant final approval.

Deadline
September 16, 2023

Applicant Eligibility
Anyone may submit a proposal! While it is beneficial for you to have participated at burning events and large art build projects, this is not required. Each applicant and proposal will be evaluated individually. Please note that the people sitting on the panel are not barred from submitting temple proposals into the process; we completely trust their integrity to recommend the right project and if involved, they are expected to recuse themselves from the actual selection.

Schedule
After all the proposals are submitted, the panel will decide which ones they consider feasible, and may schedule interviews with the submitters to learn more about their vision. The decision on what gets built will be made as soon as possible. Please be available to meet with the panel or Engulf Board during this period. We want to help you make your proposal as strong as possible.

Feedback
If a design is chosen for an interview, the panel will meet with the submitter and may offer advice in some areas that they think could warrant more attention. The more thought-out the initial approach, the faster the project can get to actual construction. Pre-submission consulting with panel members is certainly encouraged!

Expectations

Role
If selected, you will be Lead for the Design and Fabrication Team – this is a critical lead role, and the Engulf Board will have final word on whether you have demonstrated your commitment and capability. You will be responsible for build space and equipment, the budget, and for ensuring your design and process are reasonably safe. The Engulf Board will do their best to aid you in completing your project.

Team
You will need to recruit your team. While many volunteers will want to help with the build, you should proactively recruit skilled workers for important areas to your design as well as “lieutenants” who will be your sub-leads for major chunks of your project/process. If possible, have your lieutenants in mind during the proposal process.

Time
Build Team activity is historically 3 “shifts” a week (i.e. 2 weekday evenings and 1 weekend day) for 2 months prior to an event, and then a final week of all-out work during construction. As lead, you will likely be putting in more hours than most on your team. You can reduce your own hourly commitment with good project management, by delegating, and by remembering to take a break. However, expect at least 15-20 hours per week. We’re on an accelerated schedule this you and you should plan to be, too.

Event
Temple construction may continue into the Engulf event. While you should anticipate completing the project sooner, keep in mind the possibility that you may miss part or all of Engulf in the push to complete it amidst unforeseen issues. It is helpful to mentally frame this project and your team as your Engulf experience.

Constraints

Budget
The Engulf Board-allocated budget for the Temple is up to $2,500 depending on ticket sales. This amount includes everything you need to make it go except power (Engulf Power Team and Site Ops will provide a generator, light trailer, fuel, and heavy equipment for lifting). Be sure to allocate funds for everything else you will need (transportation to the site, lumber, hardware, accelerants, food, drill bits, etc.). Consider how you may raise funds to cover any budget gaps.

Time
Remember that pre-building should be complete in the weeks prior to the event, and ideally you should have a late September test-build to demonstrate structural soundness and hype the community. Also note that you should not plan to be on site building until the Tuesday before the event.

Size
The temple has a height limit of around 30 feet. Above this height, construction danger and expense become prohibitive. We want people to rise to the challenge of being amazing without being massive. Burn perimeter radius will be determined per project and event conditions.

Explanation of Submission Form

Your name and contact information
This submission is for something that you are building. While we understand that not everyone is an expert in every little detail of temple building, submitters should have a strong understanding of how it will all come together. Who are you and why are you eligible?

Inspiration
Why should this get built? How does this speak to Jack and Jill Engulf?

Project Management
You’re the point person, however no one expects you to do it alone. We’re looking for someone who is able to lead a project.

Project Plan
Tell us how you plan to make your vision a reality. We are looking for a structural explanation of how the piece is constructed, along with your plan for the build process. You’re the project manager: your team must build it in town, take it apart, move it to the event site, and then build it again on site. Include project milestones that can be used to gauge the build’s progress. Any details regarding the timeline for the onsite build are helpful. Also be sure to include any special cleanup, safety, burn night, or transportation issues that you might foresee.

Detailed Items to be Considered

Safety Plan
Are parts of your design dangerous? How will you keep people from dying on/around it? How will you prevent it from killing people? The safety plan should take into consideration the phases (a) during construction in town, (b) construction on-site, (c) once it is open to participants at the event, and (d) how to safely take it apart, if necessary.

Transportation Plan
Will it fit in a box truck; on a flatbed? Will the pieces be fragile? How will you move the structure and all the tools you will need? What comes home, and in what? There is a transportation lead to help.

The Engulf Board has the right to prohibit the erection or request the dismantling of any art work or structure that it deems unsafe or otherwise inappropriate and/or prohibit attendees from climbing on any art or structure.

Burn Plan
How much perimeter will you need to burn safely? What accelerants will be used? What kind of embers will this thing throw? How could the burn tie into the procession or other art? What special considerations does the Engulf Fire Dept. need to be aware of?

Non-Burn Plan
There is always a chance that we will be banned from burning. In case the conditions aren’t safe, what will happen? Consider transformation, deconstruction, re-packing, and transportation back to town. What happens to it afterwards?

Cleanup Plan
What is required to get the burn pad cleared after the burn? As we’ve learned year after year, it’s near-impossible to get folks to stay to clean. Know any people who go to the event but don’t break themselves after a week in the Texas summer? These are your new best friends.

Budget

Assume you have up to ~$3,000 to use on this project, from start to finish. What will you spend it on? This needs to be itemized and as realistic as you can estimate (call around for quotes). It’s wise to leave 10-15% of your budget for unforeseen expenses. How will you maintain your balance sheet throughout the project?

Materials
Everything you will need to build, transport, and burn the project need to be listed in your budget. Include construction materials, (lumber, fasteners, widgets), tools, electrical, gas, plumbing, fuel, etc.

Rentals
Do you need to rent any equipment to do this? Lifts, scaffolding, fancy tools? What are they, where do you get them and what do they cost? Simple is good.

Other/Swag/Food
How will you create the feeling of appreciation for your volunteers? How will you keep your volunteers fed and hydrated enough to keep working for you? A small expense here goes a long way.

Visuals

May include scale drawings, sections, charts, diagrams, details, models, or whatever it takes to get the idea across of what it is you would like to build.

Addenda (Creative Considerations & Requirements)

The following were major items that the community has identified as what they want to see in a temple, and will be considered heavily in the proposals.

Non-toxic burn
Wiring, metal, plastic, etc. should be removable/minimal for the burn. The goal is as little environmental nastiness as possible.

Community involvement
This goes beyond just making the temple interactive, although that is a large part of this; the more people that can be involved, the better. DaFT has often been a place for people to learn skills in a variety of areas. It is a challenge to do this efficiently and safely, but the more people that can say, “I helped make that,” the better.

Finished by Thursday at Engulf
The desire is for the temple to be “open” and approachable by the community by Thursday night. It may still need some work done, but it should no longer be a construction zone by that time. Ideally.

Test Build
We want to see this thing together once before its final arrival on site. This allows for those damn things that always come up at the last minute to be dealt with in a more controlled environment. Ideally, this would happen near the first of October.

Driftwood
Given the prominence of water in the Gulf South: the gulf, the Mississippi, marshes, we require driftwood to be incorporated into the temple design. It can be a small element or the whole temple can be made out of driftwood. Please consider how you might include driftwood in your design.

Possessing a consumable aspect
While we believe that a temple that is mostly consumable by fire is an important aspect of the event, we also know that the artists in our community work in many different media. As it has been proven that we can have a fabulous and meaningful UnBurn, we do not want to exclude any proposal purely on the basis that it is not largely consumable by fire. (read: fire is good, but it doesn’t have to burn down in the traditional way)

Community Ownership
we will not consider using the community money earmarked for the temple to fund, either partially or fully, a project that is intended for any final purpose other than its destruction at Engulf (or Engulf Board community event).

Wood
The wood used in the design and fabrication of the temple should be non-toxic and mostly untreated. No chipboard or wood that uses heavy glue or chemicals that can fume or be toxic when burned.

Temple Applications for Engulf 2023. DEADLINE September 16th.

Please email board@engulfburn.org for additional considerations.

Send your questions to llc@engulfburn.org. Happy designing!

Sincerely,

The Engulf Effigy Proposal Review Committee and the Engulf Board