ABSTRACT
Fire breaks down the forest, but fire is also essential for the forest’s rejuvenation. It demarcates forest space, drives diversity of species, and enriches the soil of the forest floor. This essay explores how char is used in two innovative design schemes: Elliott and Kagner’s Afterburn installation in Quebec and Terunobu Fujimori’s use of yaki sugi in his design projects in Japan. In these designs char is a product of carbon sequestration due to fire but also a protector of the wood it covers. These innovative designs challenge the one-sided notion of fire as dangerous and return to the conversation consideration of fire’s productive functions.
