Burn!

YEAR

2012

LOCATION

Helsinki

INSTITUTION

EASA

TUTOR

Luis Hilti

Léonard Gurner

Daniel Fuchs

In the workshop Burn!, we explored fire 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 artists such as Roman Signer, Yves Klein, and Michelangelo Antonioni, alongside historical moments in which fire marked the dramatic end of cities and structures.

Through a combination of lectures and hands-on experiments, participants examined the potential and dangers of fire before developing their own architectural projects.

Equipped with lab coats, high-speed cameras, and matches, the group worked intensively across sites such as Suvilahti and the Sompasaari wasteland in Helsinki.

Day and night, they experimented with fire to create striking sculptures and meaningful interventions 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 in the summer of 2012, challenged the conventional boundaries of architectural practice.

The outcomes of Burn! were as diverse as they were provocative, leaving a lasting impression on both the public spaces of Helsinki and the participants themselves. The project brought together art, architecture, and performance, demonstrating that fire, too, can be a source of creative potential.