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Sustaining and Defending the LDS Temple

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What of Art?

December 29, 2012 by Bryce Haymond 13 Comments

Les Misérables

Les Misérables

The following was written in response to a comment by “nate” on a post at Millennial Star which discussed the merits of the new film Les Misérables. In summary, the commenter claimed that art is “just art,” and in the end is escapism, overrated, simple entertainment, will not change your life (no matter how great or inspiring it is), won’t have long term influence on your soul, is overblown, is an addiction, is short-lived, no matter how seemingly life-changing it is dangerous, an idol, a quick fix, a drug, not “real life” or a part of our “real world,” and a distraction. I thought such condemnation of art called for a reply.

Allow me to resuscitate art for a moment (as if it needs it).

Art is not simply entertainment. It’s not simply art. It’s not simply escapism. And it is certainly not simply a drug.

Art is found abundantly in most expressions of humanity, including the traditional forms of drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and dance, but also in literature, industrial design, architecture, film, interior design, graphic design, puppetry, music, singing, drama/theatre, animation, poetry, woodworking, weaving, vocal performance, interactive media, calligraphy, printmaking, pottery, sound, and technology.

Without art, most of what we know in our world today would not exist. [Read more…]

Posted in: General Authorities, Tidbits Tagged: architecture, art, boyd k. packer, brigham young, dance, design, hugh nibley, literature, media, millennial star, movie, music, painting, poetry, ritual, shakespeare, symbolism, technology

The Gila Valley Arizona Temple Completed in Record Time?

April 22, 2010 by Bryce Haymond 4 Comments
The Gila Valley Arizona Temple Celestial Room

Celestial Room in the Gila Valley Arizona Temple

The open house has been announced for the Gila Valley Arizona Temple, which was announced in General Conference just two years ago.  The open house will start on Friday, April 23rd, and run through Saturday, May 15th.  The dedication will take place on Sunday, May 23rd, 2010.  [Read more…]

Posted in: Temples Today Tagged: architecture, building, celestial room, construction, dedication, design, general conference, interior, open house, structure

Finding Meaning in Sacred Architecture – Lecture by Val Brinkerhoff

September 24, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 5 Comments

Val Brinkerhoff is an associate professor of photography in BYU’s Visual Arts Department, and over the last decade has focused his studies on sacred architecture, particularly of temples.  He’s authored or co-authored a number of books, the three most recent being about finding the meaning of symbolism in sacred architecture.  Yesterday he gave a lecture on this subject at BYU as part of the Kennedy Center Lectures.  A video of the lecture is embedded below (on the website), or can be found at the Kennedy Center website.  It is about an hour long, and provides a fascinating look into the symbolism of temples, ancient and modern.  Thanks Lee!

Click here to watch Val Brinkerhoff’s lecture

Posted in: Scholarship, Temples Today, Tidbits Tagged: architecture, lecture, photos, sacred, scholar, symbolism, symbols, Val Brinkerhoff, video

0.41 Gigapixel Photo of Salt Lake Temple

July 25, 2009 by Bryce Haymond Leave a Comment

Not to be outdone by yesterday’s 360° Panoramas of Temple Square, Dr. Hamblin has produced probably the highest resolution photograph of the Salt Lake Temple ever made.  It is 0.41 gigapixels, which amounts to 410 megapixels.  Compared with most modern digital cameras which are capable of 2-8 megapixels, this is a super high resolution image.  The total file size of the image is 400 megabytes, but don’t worry, you don’t have to download all of that data to see it.

Dr. Hamblin used a new technology called Gigapan to create the gigapixel panorama.  The results are nothing short of amazing.  The image loads fast, and you can zoom into any portion of the temple and see exquisite details very close-up. I have embedded the photo below for your convenience (if you are reading this in email or RSS, it will only display on the website). If you’d like to see the photo fullscreen, click here.

Dr. Hamblin has also produced a short guided tour of some of the architectural features of the eastern facade of the temple in this photo. It includes the building dedicatory inscription or plaque, sun stones, star stones, clouds, squared-circle stones (sometimes called “Saturn” stones), all seeing eye, moon stones, Alpha and Omega, the Right Hand of Fellowship, and the Angel Moroni.  To see these, click here, and then click on the “Snapshots.”

Posted in: Practices, Temples Today, Tidbits, Uncategorized Tagged: architecture, bill hamblin, photo, salt lake temple, technology, website

The Virtual Design of Temples

May 20, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 9 Comments

Have you ever wondered what goes into the design of new temples? How much is planned ahead of time?  To what extent do they know what the temple will look like when it is finished?  What level of detail is thought about even before construction begins?

I have thought those things many times before, and I believe they have now been answered in large measure by something fascinating that Elder Bednar shared in his CES fireside address just a couple weeks ago on May 3, 2009.  His talk was entitled, “Things as They Really Are,” and he spoke about how the virtualization of reality through modern technology can take particularly pernicious forms that can have damaging eternal spiritual effects.  It is an excellent talk, and one that every member of the Church should read and study carefully.

He also spoke of the good that can come through these technologies.  One of the positive influences of our modern advances in virtual reality was shown in architecture, engineering, and design planning.  Elder Bednar showed two sets of images of how computer graphics technology is used in the design of temples, and they are incredible:

Left: Computer rendering of sealing room in the Newport Beach California Temple.  Right: Photo of sealing room in the Newport Beach California Temple. (click for a larger view)

Left: Computer rendering of sealing room in the Newport Beach California Temple. Right: Photo of actual sealing room in the Newport Beach California Temple. (click for a larger view)

As you can see, an extremely detailed plan of the Newport Beach California Temple was conceived before construction even started, even down to the fabrics, textures, colors, lights, windows, and furniture.  Here is another:

Left: Computer rendering of lobby in the Copenhagen Denmark Temple.  Right: Photo of lobby in the Copenhagen Denmark Temple. (click for a larger view)

Left: Computer rendering of lobby in the Copenhagen Denmark Temple. Right: Photo of actual lobby in the Copenhagen Denmark Temple. (click for a larger view)

Again, the attention to detail is astounding in the lobby rendering of the Copenhagen Denmark Temple before it was constructed.  Needless to say, the Church knows a great deal about what a temple will look like before the dirt is stirred.  Coming from a computer graphics background, I am greatly impressed.

The Church spares no expense in doing things right, particularly where the Lord’s temples are concerned.  As in ancient times, the House of the Lord is only built with the finest of materials, craft, and skill available, and the most painstaking efforts are made beforehand to ensure that the Lord’s most holy house ends up being what it should be—the most sacred place on earth.

Posted in: General Authorities, Temples Today Tagged: 3D, ancients, architecture, california, construction, design, image, photos, plan, rooms, sacred, sealing, technology, virtual
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