BURN!
YEAR | 2012
LOCATION | Helsinki
TUTORS | Luis Hilti | Léonard Gurner | Daniel Fuchs
INSTITUTION | EASA
In the workshop Burn!, we explored flames as a medium for designing and activating neglected public spaces. Using fuel and gunpowder to ignite wood and other flammable materials, participants reimagined fire not as a force of destruction, but as a tool for creation.
The workshop drew inspiration from the art world, referencing figures such as Roman Signer, Yves Klein, and Michelangelo Antonioni, alongside historical moments where fire marked the flaming end of cities and structures.
Through a combination of lectures and hands-on experiments, participants examined the potentials and dangers of fire before developing their own architectural projects.
Equipped with lab coats, high-speed cameras, and matches, the group worked tirelessly across sites like Suvilahti and the Sompasaari wasteland in Helsinki.
Day and night, they experimented with fire to create beautiful sculptures and meaningful events that explored the transformative power of flames in design.
The two-week workshop, held as part of the European Architecture Student Assembly (EASA) in Helsinki during the summer of 2012, challenged conventional boundaries of architectural practice.
The outcomes of Burn! were as diverse as they were provocative, leaving a lasting impression on the public spaces of Helsinki and on the participants themselves. The project merged art, architecture, and performance, proving that even fire can be a source of creative potential.
