Portable Temple Part 3
How To Build Your Own Portable Gnostic Mass Temple
Assembling the Shrine and Veil structure
Four umbrella stands were graciously donated for the shrine assembly. These four umbrella stands support four 7' copper poles, on top of which the shrine assembly sits. The whole assembly is 7' tall, 10' wide and 5' deep, and are held by four "elbow" and four "t" pipes similar to the tomb above.
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Parts List • 2 10' copper
pipes (1/2" diameter) |
Note that the shrine is not assembled with the "T" and "elbow" joints arranged as in the tomb. The tomb arrangement is to lend stability when the whole pipe assembly is stood up. However, the shrine is held up by the umbrella stands, and needs to be aligned with somewhat greater precision than the tomb.
The corners should be tightened except for four screws, one per corner, which can be used to unfasten the corners for adding the shrine veils.
For the shrine veils, we use two black 7' by 8' pieces, one black 7' x 16' piece (for the back of the shrine) and two 7' by 8' pieces in dark blue to form the front veil. Once each of these cloth pieces are added, the whole assembly is assembled on the ground, and lifted and placed on top of the 7' poles. The corner poles are pinned together with safety pins.
While we use "pole cozies" (small 7' sheaths approximately 2 inches in diameter) to cover the poles, the corners of the cloth could be pinned to cover the stands.
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Note: As the copper pipes are largely covered in both the tomb and shrine assembly, cheaper pipe material could be used in it's place for both the tomb and the shrine assemblies. Copper was selected because of it's appearance; however, it is slightly more expensive than construction-grade galvanized pipe. |
The Dais
Our Dias is an 8' by 5' platform six inches tall, assembled from two 4' by 5' pieces slid together on site.
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Note: The Dais is the most difficult of all of the components to move and store. We are currently investigating alternate designs which are just as stable, but which are easier to move, handle and store. |
The Dais is assembled using 2'x6', assembled in a basic frame, with a sheet of plywood 4' x 5' on top.
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Parts List • 8 2"x6"
construction grade, 45" length |
Note that the 4' 2"x6" members are actually cut approximately three inches short of 4' in length. This accounts for the thickness of the 2"x6", which is actually planed down to 1.5" by 5.5" in actual size.
The four 45" members should be positioned approximately 16" o/c., which should provide more than adequate support for the top plywood member. The pieces can be assembled using wood glue and two to three wood screws per butt join. Once this platform is assembled, place and screw down the 4'x5' 1/2" plywood piece on top.
We found black and white squared linoleum, and covered the dais with linoleum and linoleum glue. Purchase what you can, and purchase the appropriate glue and apply according to directions. Most linoleum glue must be applied with the correct trowel; with some practice, you should be able to lay down a thin layer of glue before the linoleum is placed.
We did not use tile as tile is very heavy. We also choose not to use self-adhesive (or sticky-back) linoleum, as it is too fragile for repeated transportation.
The Steps
We assembled two steps, approximately two and four inches tall, using the top of the dais (above) as the third step. The steps themselves are constructed as a single unit; however, for simplicity, you may wish to assemble two shallow square boxes approximately one foot deep by approximately four feet wide. Cover with the same linoleum used above.