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Visual Memory of the Fires of Debrecen
Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design
A data physicalization installation designed to commemorate the fires that marked the history of Debrecen up until the mid-19th century. A historical event for the city is narrated through textual and visual testimonies of the fire.
The “Visual Memory of the Fires of Debrecen” project is a commemorative installation created to remember the fires that profoundly affected the city of Debrecen up until the mid-19th century. The work combines historical research, data visualization, and artistic sensitivity, transforming historical information into a visual immersive experience.
The installation is composed by glass panels, chosen for their transparency and fragility, which display textual and photographic visualizations related to the many fires that occurred over time. In addition to evoking the tragedies that struck the city, the use of glass, alongside materials such as wood, metal, and concrete, also symbolizes the process of reconstruction and rebirth that followed each act of devastation.
A key feature of the installation is its spatial and temporal narrative: time is represented vertically, while the city is sectioned horizontally, offering a layered interpretation of the territory. On each panel, concentric rings of varying sizes represent the number of houses destroyed in each fire—the larger the ring, the greater the impact. This system makes the recurrence and scale of these events immediately perceivable.
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