The Solar Shrine Collective is a group led by artist and architect Antwane Lee. Our collective builds community-based art that is transformative and a catalyst for social change. Our goal is to raise funds for projects which will be created post-The Solar Shrine at Burning Man 2022 that have the same cultural impact, if not greater. These projects will be both permanent and temporary, becoming part of the fabric of communities and culture.
The Solar Shrine was an Afrofuturistic art installation at Burning Man 2022 that made manifest the cosmology of Ancient Egypt and Nubia. The project referenced the artistic styles from this area of ancient Africa but with the massing, geometry, and materiality rooted in contemporary times. As a movement, Afrofuturism envisions ‘tomorrow’ by exploring cultural and design aesthetics between the arts, history, science-fiction, and politics from African and African diasporic lens. The genesis of this project started with an idea to construct pop-up pavilions in inner city neighborhoods in Chicago as places of meditation and transformation. When erected in neighborhoods, those structures would be activated with performance art, music, spiritual traditions like yoga, etc. This would facilitate engagement with residents in high crime neighborhoods and conversations with artists and activists about the communities they collectively envision for themselves in the future. Intrinsically linked to architecture, communal spaces are the driving force behind social change in the world. The Solar Shrine at Burning Man was a ‘Chicago’ prototype of temporary Afrofuturistic architecture where the installation incubated the artistic expression of local people of color who traveled to Black Rock City, Nevada for the festival. We also worked with residents in inner city neighborhoods and individuals who were formerly incarcerated in Chicago to help with the construction of the project.
The Solar Shrine Project was the inspiration to continue more community engagement. Our collective is currently planning more projects to be activated locally and in the region. We are forming collaborations with other arts organizations and artists in order to have greater impact and heal communities. Also, in the same vein as The Solar Shrine, we will continue to work with individuals from disinvested neighborhoods to be an instrument for change in their lives.
Learn More: https://solarshrine.org/