The Yantra - Description

As many people know, a mantra is a sound repeated during meditation to help focus the mind. A yantra is an image similarly used in meditation. A yantra can be any design that brings peace to the mind. Various schools of yoga have created yantras through the ages. Integral Yoga created this one:

It symbolizes one of the school’s most prominent teachings:
The truth is one, paths are many

The dot in the middle is the light, the truth, enlightenment, the true self, love, everything we strive to know and be in our conscientious lives. As the light radiates out, it blends into symbols of the great religions of the world, just as the original truth diversified through the centuries into these religions.

In yogic thought, all religions are known as bhakti. Bhakti is one of the 8 paths of yoga that we can choose to lead us to enlightenment. Other paths include meditation, spiritual study, and asana (the physical practices commonly known as "yoga"). Religions are considered to be creations of man (see 6:00 and 12:00 below), but holy all the same.

Design

I have always liked this philosophy and this design, and thus inspired I envision The Yantra. The same 12 symbols are placed in a circle 40 feet in diameter, suspended 18 1/2 feet off the ground. If you were to, at night, stand at the very center and look straight up, it would look like this:

• The entire structure is 40 feet tall and 86 feet in diameter, with a tripod of aluminum poles in the middle and stainless steel cables radiating outward.
• Each symbol is drawn out in electroluminescent wire inside a 3 1/2 foot diameter disk.
• in the center of the structure is tiny, very bright light.
• Attached to the cables radiating out from the center are optical fibers that glow in changing colors. (Like Jeremy Lutes’ fiber-optic suits.) Since these colors are computer-controlled, there may be sensors on the ground to trigger them, responding to the presence and gestures of visitors.
• Underneath each symbol is a circular bench with the symbol painted on it, along with some philosophy and quotes from the religion.

The religions symbolized are, starting at the top, going clockwise:

Set fairly far away from other light sources, The Yantra won’t be very bright. I imagine that people will notice just enough light to lure them over. Once inside, visitors will be surrounded by a cool glow of shifting colors. I imagine the sheer size and emptiness of the structure (see the elevation drawing) will have that cathedral-like way of aweing one into silence. There will be no humming generator. Folks will sit on a bench or lie on the ground looking up, appreciating the spiritual message or just enjoying the pretty colors.

In the daytime, The Yantra will lack it's glow, but should still provide some amusement. The symbols will cast shadows on the ground in sundial-like precession. Perhaps on wind-less days some cloth will be stretched across some of the cables, providing a shady spot to rest. There may be a set of giant (12 feet long) wind chimes hanging from the top of the structure, providing a quiescent audio element. A nearby solar panel will charge the batteries that power the lights at night. Circuitry attached to the panel will automatically turn on the lights at dusk.

Construction Details

Tower

• The 3-legged tower is made from 2" OD, 1.884" ID drawn 6063 aluminum tubing.
• Each leg has 7 sections - 6 that are 6’ long, 1 that is 4’7 3/4" long.
• The leg sections are held together with 2’ long pieces of 1.875" OD drawn 6063 aluminum tubing that slide inside the sections.
• Halfway up each leg are crossbars that attach the legs to each other with bolts. These crossbars may be necessary to keep the legs from bowing out or in if the load at the top should shift drastically to one side.
• The legs bolt to a 13" diameter 1/4"-thick plate of 6061 aluminum with brackets welded to the underside.
• This plate has 12 holes around the top to which attach the cables that reach down and out to each symbol disk.

Rigging

• All cables are 1/8" 302 stainless steel with a rated load of 1750 lbs
• All cables are terminated with Gripples, a modern form of cable lock
• Over 1/4 mile of cable is used
• Carabiners quickly connect all the cables, anchors, top plate, and symbol disks on-site. All cables will be pre-cut and finished off-site
• A 4:1 block-and-tackle system will allow a person to be hoisted to the top.
• Professional rescue equipment-grade pulleys (including a locking "Haul Safe" pulley) and ropes from Rescue Systems Inc will be used in this system.
• When not in use, the block-and-tackle system is pulled to the side so as not to block the halogen lamp on the underside of the tower top-plate.

Electrical

• A ground-based deep-cycle battery will provide power for all the lighting all night. No generator.
• A ground-based 120W solar power panel will charge the battery in the day. When it stops putting out power, the charging circuitry will automatically turn on the lighting systems.

Lighting

• Each symbol disk is a 4’-diameter hoop made of stiff plastic irrigation hose
• Around the edge of each disk is 12’ of red 5mm EL-wire
• Stretched across one side of each disk is plastic bird netting.
• Across the netting the disk’s symbol is drawn out, using an average of 12’’ of green 5mm EL-wire.
• At each symbol disk is installed an illuminator for the optical fibers that go from the disk up the cable to the tower top and down the 2 cables going to the ground. Each illuminator (currently under development by Jeremy Lutes) uses several high-power LEDs to achieve high efficiency and instantaneous color-changing ability. All the illuminators is attached to each other so as to synchronize lighting effects.
• On the underside of the tower top-plate is a 25W halogen lamp with reflector, facing straight down.

Benches

• There are 12 benches, each one placed directly below each symbol disk.
• The top of each bench is a 47" plywood round with the symbol above painted on it.
• Philosophies and quotations from the symbolized religion are painted on it too.
• underneath each bench top is a box made from 4 32"-long 2x6s mitered at the ends.
• inside each corner of this box is mounted a 17" 4x4 leg

Safety Concerns

Nothing in The Yantra will burn. (Perhaps some of the benches will be cast into the temple burn.) The main thing that I will be taking care about is that it is always visible. There are 24 cables coming to the ground at approximately 45 degrees. If they’re not seen, they will get hit. At night, glowing optical fiber will be attached along the entire length of every cable. Small flags will make the cables visible in the day.

There will be a block-and-tackle system hanging from the very top of the tower that will allow a person to be hoisted to the top for construction, maintenance, and a swell view. Rescue-equipment grade pulleys (including a locking "Haul Safe" pulley) and rope from Rescue Systems Inc will be used. When my crew and I are not around, this rig will be locked up and not available for the general public to use.

There is nothing in The Yantra that will catch the wind more than trivially. Even so, I’m using cable that is rated to hold 1750 lbs and carabiners rated to hold 3000 lbs.

Setup Procedure

Transportation

Everything except the benches can be transported on/in Ping, my submarine art car. I’m thinking that I’ll pre-cut and paint all the bench parts in the Bay Area, then assemble them on the playa. I may be able to transport the bench parts in Ping as well, but maybe not. My camp may rent a truck that can carry them. Other transportation resources may become available. I haven’t budgeted anything for transportation, but I don’t anticipate that this will be much of an expense.

Construction Locations, Expertise, Assistance

The Yantra will be built in my studio in Berkeley. When I need a large area to test-build the towers and rigging, I’ll probably use The Shipyard. Unlike my previous projects, there’s a lot of work that doesn’t need a machinist or computer programmer to do. I look forward to working with a larger population of volunteer helpers. I imagine some people will feel strongly about various religions and symbols.

For setting up The Yantra, I anticipate needing a crew of 6 people.

EL-wire expertise will be found at Cool Neon. Optical fiber expertise and equipment will be obtained from Jeremy Lutes/Light Fantastic. I’ll probably talk to Bob Stahl about my rigging plans.

I want to get everything but the benches built by the 4th of July, so I can take The Yantra up to the playa for a test run. Then until Burning Man I’ll fix and re-work whatever needs fixing and reworking and build the benches. Unlike previous projects, I feel that I’ll have plenty of time for everything.

Schedule and Timeline

Cleanup

Nothing in The Yantra will burn. The only effects on the playa will be 15 holes made by screw anchors which will be easily filled.

More Information, Questions, Comments

(415)558-9908