He is well known for building immense temples out of recycled wood sheets (discarded from making toys and other punch-outs) for the Burning Man festivals, where they are then burnt to the ground in a spectacle of light and heat.
Best first began collaborating with others, 20 years ago, when he embarked upon a sideline: stripping down vehicles and giving them total sculptural makeovers, using recycled materials and found objects, often retrieved from dumps and dumpsters.
During construction it became a memorial to Michael Hefflin,[3] a member of the crew who died in a motorcycle accident just prior to the event, and as such became a sacred space for remembering others.
After days of writing prayers on the structures, of affixing offerings from one's life such as pictures, paintings, etc., or of leaving the ashes of loved ones, etc.
David took a break in 2005 and 2006 to work on personal projects, including the Hayes Green Temple in San Francisco.