The word Ekphrastic is simply defined as the act of using literary analysis to describe a visual work of art. While that term may seem simple and is certainly not a new term in any case, it feels important to specifically define it for the purpose of using it to explain choices that were made in the process of building the temple.
In the case of Chaucer, he uses these various descriptions to tease out various associations and feelings within us as we are following Arcite into the temple. There is a way in which he dances in between the material and immaterial to help craft this perfect image of the temple in our minds. He engages all of our senses to help draw us in, contrasting it greatly with the nature of the Temple of Venus and Diana that are also present. Despite their proximity to each other, they all end up feeling like completely different worlds. One part is mentioned by Cristina Maria Cervone in her paper about how the trees engage the user with descriptions of how they sound against the windy forest surrounding the temple. It really informed my decisions to shape the tree in the way that I did as well as remove the leaves to better indicate that the area is windy. To bring it into a more immersive feel, the trees are also physically represented around the temple contrary to the Knight saying that they are on a painting. It makes more sense for me to do it that also given how the scene is generally described.
Similar associations drove the various design decisions I made throughout the process of constructing the Temple of Mars. These will all be explained and demonstrated on the process page.