Fire Sculpture

Alton Mill Artist Paul Morin will light up the night with a unique fire installation on Saturday Jan. 19 as part of the Alton Mill's Fire & Ice 2013 winter festival.

In the piece, Morin explores Mayan mythology at the beginning of the next rotation of the Mayan Long Count Calendar which begins its great cycle anew this year. The roaring, 12-foot sculpture will unfold in multiple stages and will burn for roughly 30 minutes.

In preparation for the commission, Paul will have spent two weeks gathering, designing, pre-burning and creating a structure of various combustible materials. It begins with four oak figures atop a large cross-section of wood. “It’s going to look like they’re actually in motion,” Morin said. The figures are moving toward a large cube at the centre of the sculpture. The cube, a masculine representation made of cedar and thin cotton, conceals a large ball. “It represents the Earth. It represents the Big Bang, the beginning of all things,” Morin said.

As the fire spreads from the cube to the orb, flames will reveal the final, and secret, chapter of the sculpture. Paul hints: "It will involve the collapse of the rigid, masculine structures to have the flame reveal the inner feminine, which will glow brightly and awaken a new epoch."

We invite you to record the burn with your camera and enter our 'Capture The Burn' Photo Contest! The best image of Paul Morin's fire sculpture will win a month of exhibition space in the Millrace Room at the Alton Mill Arts Center. Go to the photo contest page for full details and copyright information.

The ceremony, which begins with a spoken-word performance by the Mill's own Rubber Brothers, will take place in the canoe-shaped fire pit in the stone-walled Annex Courtyard at 5 pm on Saturday Jan. 19