Burn: A Symphony of Ashes and Rebirth by Alfredo De Stefano

Mexican conceptual artist Alfredo De Stefano uses the desert as a stage for destruction and renewal in BURN: A Symphony of Ashes and Rebirth, an ongoing film and photography project examining fire, environmental fragility and the human forces contributing to desertification. Working at the intersection of photography and land art, he creates temporary interventions that place carefully constructed objects within vast, seemingly empty landscapes.

Powerful symbols like a solitary wooden house, a ship and a life-size stag appear surrounded by branching white lines drawn across the cracked earth. Each structure stands intact initially, then goes up in flames, transforming otherwise quiet scenes into dramatic images of loss and instability.

Developed since 2020, the project approaches fire as a physical force and a symbolic language. While fire can play an essential role in natural regeneration, Alfredo focuses on how human activity and climate change are making its effects increasingly destructive. The non-profit project is being developed as six short films that will ultimately form a single audiovisual work combining image, sound and narration, reflecting on destruction, memory and the possibility of renewal. For more on BURN and Alfredo’s other projects, visit his website.

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