Zhuqi Liao

"Folding Wildfires"

Section MS13, Rosa Whiteley

Keywords: invisible, book, environment, leaching

Wildfires, one of the major sources of air pollution, are increasing in intensity and spreading throughout the earth's ecosystems. Wildfire smoke contains particulate matter and toxic combustion products that have been shown to cause respiratory damage, cardiovascular disease effects and neurological disorders. These large particles, visible to the naked eye, are one of the factors that cause death by asphyxiation. Flame retardants are seen as an effective way to prevent fires. Items containing flame retardants gradually release toxic chemicals into the water and air, which are then absorbed by the human body, where they can cause serious harm. Wildfires do not only exist in the clouds of smoke but the policies of fire resilience and fire retardants that lurk in our material cultures.

The project is presented as a folded book, which, by folding each page at a different angle, unfolds into a linear shape that is seen as a dynamic of a billowing plume, or the shape of a cloud, graphically mimicking graphically the characteristics of smoke.