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POSTER SERIES
"Things Ablaze" is a personal poster series exploring the strange beauty and destructive force of fire. The goal was to create visually striking posters that highlight historical events involving flames—ranging from disasters and accidents to acts of political statement and natural forces.
The project began with inspiration from the 2019 Notre-Dame Cathedral fire and the early trailers for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which shaped the first two posters. As the series evolved, I researched more events where fire played a central role. This led to a diverse collection of moments, including:
The 1937 Hindenburg disaster,
The first atomic bomb tests in Nevada, creating enormous mushroom clouds
Space Race-era rocket launches with massive flames bursting from thrusters
Niki Lauda’s fiery 1976 F1 crash
The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, with glowing radiation seeping through the wreckage
The 2020 Beirut explosion and its devastating aftermath
Each poster follows a cohesive visual style, featuring a dark background where the flames and smoke dominate in vibrant red and yellow hues. A black halftone print pattern overlays the images, adding contrast and texture. The threshold effect in Photoshop was used to crush the colors, introducing digital artifacts and dissonance—mirroring the chaotic, unpredictable nature of fire itself. This also plays on the scientific concept of threshold effects, where small environmental changes can lead to catastrophic consequences.
Typography remains minimal, clean, and Swiss-inspired, acting as a stark contrast to the randomness of the flames. Key details, such as the event name, date, and location, are arranged in a structured grid layout, resembling archival documentation.
The final result is a series of 15 posters, all printed on matte natural paper with visible texture and canvas prints that enhance the woven, organic feel of the artwork. The choice of materials adds another layer of depth, reinforcing the raw and tactile nature of fire’s impact.
