Burn (2015-2017)

After a summer full of forest fires, in an extremely dry and warm year, which is becoming more and more frequent due to climate change, the Valley Fire broke out in September 2015 in Lake County, North California. This fire, which ranks third in the worst forest fires, developed incredibly quickly and created its own climate due to the heat of its flames, resulting in unpredictable winds. Yelena Zhavoronkova was in Lake County at the time of the fire, experiencing the chaos herself and witnessing how the fire overpowered the population in a matter of hours. Four people died, and almost two thousand buildings went up in flames. In BURN, Zhavoronkova portrays plants that were literally in the line of fire, but resisted the flames, despite the traces of the fire on their leaves and stalks. Using the echoes of fire, she tells a story about life.