Artist Burns Countless Tiny Holes to Create Stunning Patterns

In Myriam Dion’s work For Small Fires, she burnt countless tiny holes to form intricate patterns on top of a photograph. The image, a relatively small picture of a storefront (just 250 centimeters long and 150 centimeters tall) features several art nouveau-inspired arrangements on the windows as well as its edges. It’s amazing to see the details of her work, because the amount of control and restraint needed to create these cohesive patterns is awe-inspiring. And when the light is cast just right, it produces a shadow that’s a larger version of her smaller handiwork. Dion is already known for her meticulous and incredible designs, and we’ve previously enjoyed her hand-cut newspapers.

For Small Fires was inspired by ornamental blacksmithing, and Dion sees this piece as an homage to the dying art form. She felt that the technique, commonly used for wrought-iron gates, has been abandoned. To her, the tedious task of burning this photograph was a way to revisit the painstaking-yet-beautiful craft. While her process is certainly not easy, we appreciate the time spent and what it produces.