From the Ashes
Designing an interactive display to inform audiences of the importance of prescribed burns.
2024 - Biodesign, Interactive Display
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Outstanding Display — Biodesign Challenge New York City, 2024.
Best in Class — Kaleidoscope Design Show, 2024.
Featured in Auburn University Magazine, 2024.
Exhibition showcased at Auburn’s Triangle Gallery, 2024.
Honorable Mention- University & College Designers Association, 2024.
Exhibition showcased at Auburn’s Gogue Performing Arts Center SHOWCASE 2025.
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With the suppression of natural fires and local opposition to prescribed burns, the longleaf pine savanna of Grand Bay has seen a massive decline. I, along with two other students, developed an interactive display to communicate this concern. We decided to use the products of prescribed burns to create a memorable experience for visitors and locals of Grand Bay. We made ink from the ashes of burned wood, paper from recycled materials, wood stamps, and a display to communicate our concerns about the disappearing wildlife. The participant creates a print of the wood rings using the handmade ink and paper. They then hang their print on the wall, symbolically regrowing the forest.
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I focused on the paper-making and display design. We needed the display to be intuitive and easy to use while maintaining the character of the project. We cut wood to aid in both the display and the process. We had wedges cut to display the instructions and slabs cut for both steps in the process. To create the stamps, we applied extreme heat to the small wooden slabs, causing the soft wood to burn away while the hard wood remained, revealing the natural rings of the wood. The paper was made using a homemade mold and deckle created from two old picture frames. We recycled all of the paper used in the process of this project to create the paper for the exhibition.
