On May 19, the Temple of Time, a memorial built in Florida’s Coral Springs to commemorate the Parkland mass shooting that took place in February 2018, was set on fire. The 35-foot-high temple with no religious affiliation was an art installation built as part of the “Inspiring Community Healing After Gun Violence: The Power of Art” series. The project was overseen by renowned sculptor David Best. The plywood structure was always meant to go up in flames at some point.
On February 14, 2018, a gunman opened fire in Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 people, including students.
The Temple of Time installation was built to be burnt, with members of the Coral Springs and the Parkland communities working alongside Best’s crew. The construction spanned two weeks before the structure was opened to the public to commemorate the anniversary of the shooting, on February 14, 2019.
“The fire will come back to the people when they are cold,” David Best said in a video released online.
According to a report by CNN, Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brook said, “I urge you all to let go of something, and like the smoke of the temple, please release it into the night sky.”
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