This project, conducted during my residency at NAHR (Natura Arts Habitat Residency) in Val Taleggio, Bergamo, Italy in June 2024, embodies an exploration of the multifaceted role of fire. Employing a variety of audiovisual approaches, including multimodal sensory experiences, data visualisations, and sonification, the project uses this region and my stay here as a lens to examine the phenomena of vestal fire. This examination covers both its literal manifestation in wildfires and its broader implications, encompassing the combustion that marked the beginning of industry and the Anthropocene.
My interest in fire, from wildfires to industrial combustion, reflects its diverse impact on our world. This project explores fire's dual role in nature and industry, uncovering its significance as both a life-giver and a destructive force in our contemporary era.
The use of fire and combustion has been central to human development, but it has also set us on a path towards significant environmental change. Our mastery of fire, which once represented progress, now challenges us to rethink our relationship with the planet.1.
The reflection on fire's dual role in human progress and environmental impact connects to the broader discourse on the current geological epoch. Whether we refer to it as the Pyrocene, as Stephen Pyne suggests—whose works have been an inspiration for this data-driven audiovisual experience—the Capitalocene, as Donna Haraway envisions, or the Anthropocene, as Paul Crutzen describes, we are living in an age marked by profound human-induced industries and anthropogenic marks. Our era is defined by the significant changes brought about by industrial activities, reshaping fire regimes and leaving lasting imprints on the Earth's systems.
Stephen Pyne states: "Over the last century something flipped. Fire went from being a prominent, visible force in the environment to something more abstract, often hidden behind industrial mechanisms and technologies. This shift has reshaped our relationship with fire, transforming it from a natural and cultural phenomenon into an industrial and technological one."2
Yet, not all regions will experience the same effects. Northern Italy and the Prealpines face unique environmental challenges that highlight the broader impact of anthropogenic activities. This region is increasingly susceptible to winter fires due to prolonged droughts, PM2.5 and PM10 pollution3 along the Po River Basin, and significant canopy loss from regional deforestation.
Southern Europe is increasingly vulnerable to prolonged droughts and rising temperatures, leading to more frequent and intense wildfires. The Mediterranean region may see a tenfold increase in extreme fire events by the century's end, with the fire season extending by up to 22 days in some areas1.
On a global scale, similar environmental degradation is occurring. The widespread practice of slashing rainforests, draining peatlands, and abandoning cultivated fields highlights the systemic vulnerability that characterizes modernity. Modernity is a condition of systematic vulnerability5. This vulnerability is evident in the compounded effects of climate change, increased fuel loads from abandoned agricultural lands, and invasive species, which transform entire ecosystems into more combustible forms. These factors are creating a new pyrogeography that poses severe ecological and socio-economic consequences globally.
Through this artistic, data-driven, and sonorous investigation, envisioned as a blueprint of contemporary reflections, ramblings, and conundrums, we delve into the realms of fire, combustion, and everything surrounding it. Beyond quantitative data, we explore terminologies, taxonomies, and benchmarks to reveal our intricate and mutual dependency with fire, the most important agent of change on Earth.