Preserved in Ashes: Generative Fragility

Fire is more than a force of change. As Margaret Atwood writes, it is “an ambition, to be illuminated from within.” A flame doesn’t erase—it reveals, leaving an imprint. To honor what remains is to acknowledge the vitality of what has endured, shaped by the forces that acted upon it.

Fire is an expression of presence that lingers within absence. Burning, far from obliteration, becomes a moment when fragility asserts itself, defying its own impermanence. The concept of fire as a medium for preservation in design redefines conventional perceptions of durability.

Yakisugi, the glassware collection designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates for Lasvit, explores contemporary fragility. The design, characterized by the imprint of charred wood, creates a material texture etched into glass. This process draws inspiration from shou sugi ban, the Japanese technique of charring wood, where carbonization alters the cellular structure to enhance durability. In this tradition, the surface emerges as a boundary between preservation and transformation.

The fragility of each material is not a limitation but an accentuated quality. The resulting pieces are textured by chance yet defined by intentional interaction. The charred wood, once combustible, transforms into a hardened shell, with its vulnerabilities displayed, while glass, once shapeless, solidifies into a form that captures the process.

Preservation is often understood as protecting something from change, shielding it from the ravages of time and nature. By contrast, the idea of preserving through transformation carries profound ecological significance. In an era of environmental crisis, where the fragility of ecosystems is increasingly apparent, the aesthetics of materials imprinting upon one another presents an image of mutual reliance. This is not preservation as stasis but preservation as evolution.

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Images: Pendant Lights, Vase and Glass of Yakisugi Collection, Kengo Kuma & Associates for Lasvit.